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THE   PRESBYTERIANS 


THE  FIRST  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH  BUILDING, 
JAMAICA,   L.  I. 


'The  Story  of  the  Churches 


The  Presbyterians 


By 

CHARLES  LEMUEL  THOMPSON,  D.  D. 

Secretary  of  the  Board  of  Home  Missions  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church  in  the  U.  S.  A, 


NEW  YORK:  THE  BAKER  &  TAYLOR  CO. 
33-37  East  Seventeenth  St.,  Union  Sq.  North 


Copyright,   1903, 

By 

The  Baker  &  Taylor  Co. 

Published,  February ,  igoj 


Preface 

There  are  many  histories  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church  in  this  country.  It  has,  how- 
ever, been  thought  that  there  was  still  room 
for  one  which  should  put  the  story  into  a  few 
brief  chapters  presenting  only  the  main  out- 
line of  events  and  giving  them  a  popular 
rather  than  an  ecclesiastical  setting.  Neither 
the  limitations  of  space  nor  the  purpose  of 
the  writer  has  allowed  discussions  of  polity 
or  doctrine. 

This  is  therefore  a  record  of  the  life  and 
work  of  the  Church  given  in  its  most  essen- 
tial features.  As  such  it  is  commended  to 
those  of  any  communion  who  would  know 
what  share  Presbyterians  have  had  in  the 
progress  of  Christianity  in  our  country. 


3742S8 


Publishers'   Note 

The  aim  of  this  series  is  to  furnish  a  uniform 
set  of  church  histories,  brief  but  complete, 
and  designed  to  instruct  the  average  church 
member  in  the  origin,  development,  and  his- 
tory of  the  various  denominations.  Many 
church  histories  have  been  issued  for  all  de- 
nominations, but  they  have  usually  been 
volumes  of  such  size  as  to  discourage  any 
but  students  of  church  history.  Each  vol- 
ume of  this  series,  all  of  which  will  be 
written  by  leading  historians  of  the  various 
denominations,  will  not  only  interest  the 
members  of  the  denomination  about  which 
it  is  written,  but  will  prove  interesting  to 
members  of  other  denominations  as  well 
who  wish  to  learn  something  of  their  fellow 
workers.  The  volumes  will  be  bound  uni- 
formly, and  when  the  series  is  complete  will 
make  a  most  valuable  history  of  the  Chris- 
tian church. 


Contents 

CHAPTER  PAGH 

I.     Presbyterian  Origins 9 

II.     Laying  Foundations 34 

III.  Opening  of  a  New  Century 48 

IV.  The  Division  of  1741 60 

V.    Missionaries  and  Patriots 81 

VI.    Over  the  Mountains 104 

VII.     An  Era  OF  Missions 119 

VIII.     The  Old  North  West 151 

IX.    The  Division  of  1837 173 

X.  The  Civil  War  and  its  Results  ....  198 

XI.    Reunion 212 

XII.     Heresy  Trials 227 

XIII.  Confessional  Changes 238 

XIV.  The  Presbyterl^n  Church  To-day    .   .  262 


The  Presbyterians 


CHAPTER  I 

PRESBYTERIAN   ORIGINS 

The  story  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in 
the  United  States  of  America  requires  that 
there  should  be  some  definition  of  Pres- 
byterianism  and  some  word  of  its  history  in 
the  old  world  that  prepared  for  its  coming 
to  the  new.  As  a  form  of  doctrine  and 
worship  Presbyterianism  is  to  be  traced  to 
the  personality  and  the  teachings  of  John 
Calvin.  As  to  its  essential  principles,  how- 
ever, it  may  be  traced  to  Christ  and  his 
apostles.  It  aims  to  recover  and  apply  the 
principles  of  Christian  life  announced  by 
Christ  and  the  doctrines  formulated  by  his 


lo  The  Presbyterians 

apostles.  An  attempt  has  sometimes  been 
made  to  trace  a  continuous  line  of  Presby- 
terian history  from  the  apostolic  period  to 
the  organization  of  the  Church  in  the  time 
of  the  Swiss  Reformation.  Such  an  at- 
tempt, like  that  of  tracing  an  unbroken 
apostolic  succession,  is  accompanied  with 
great  difficulties.  It  is  not  necessary.  Un- 
doubtedly there  were  among  the  Walden- 
sians  and  others  those  who  before  the  Ref- 
ormation were  endeavoring  to  keep  alive 
the  fires  of  Christian  life  on  obscure  altars 
in  the  valleys  of  Italy  and  among  the  Alps. 
God  has  never  left  himself  without  the  seed 
of  a  true  Israel  in  the  earth.  But  Presby- 
terianism  as  an  organized  form  of  church 
life  is  to  date  from  the  time  of  the  Reforma- 
tion. 

What  now  are  the  historic  lines  by  which 
it  came  to  this  country  ?  What  principles 
characteristically  Presbyterian  can  we  trace 
in  our  national  beginnings  ?  Every  nation 
has  its  own  personality.     That  personality 


Presbyterian  Origins  ii 

is  the  outcome  of  certain  ruling  ideas.  Our 
country  is  peculiar  in  tracing  its  origin  not 
to  any  one  people  of  Europe.  The  line  of  its 
history  is  not,  therefore,  a  single  line,  and 
is  not  to  be  traced  as  you  might  trace  the 
strong  current  of  a  river.  It  is  the  resultant 
of  the  combined  life  of  half  a  dozen  Euro- 
pean nations.  The  problem,  therefore,  of 
finding  out  what  are  the  ruling  principles 
that  have  entered  into  the  formation  of  this 
republic  is  not  a  simple  but  a  complex  one. 
At  the  same  time  the  facts  stand  out  so 
clearly  in  our  own  history  and  are  so  dis- 
tinctly marked  as  that  history  is  traced  back 
to  the  lands  whence  it  came,  that  it  is  not 
difficult  to  mark  the  national  characteristics 
across  the  ocean  that  have  determined  this 
last  born  of  great  nations. 

In  a  general  way,  historians  are  in  the 
habit  of  saying  that  the  chief  factors  of 
national  life  have  come  to  us  from  England, 
Scotland,  France,  Ireland  and  Holland.  As 
the  fingers  come  to  the  wrist,  these  nations 


12  The  Presbyterians 

have  come  to  a  certain  solidarity  in  our  own 
country.  It  is  necessary,  therefore,  to  in- 
quire what  are  the  essential  truth  elements 
of  these  respective  nations.  Of  what  ideas 
of  truth,  tolerance,  education  and  liberty 
were  they  respectively  the  exponents  when 
the  great  Reformation  that  quickened  all 
Europe  from  the  Orkneys  to  the  Tiber 
had  done  its  work,  and  the  historian  had 
had  time  to  look  about  over  the  countries 
which  it  had  influenced  ?  Certain  leading 
truths  so  developed  and  new  to  the  world 
are  called  Reformation  Truths.  Some  of 
them  had  existed  ages  before,  were  an  in- 
heritance from  Roman  law  and  primitive 
Christianity,  but  had  been  swept  away  or 
covered  up  by  the  general  flood  of  igno- 
rance and  oppression.  Now  with  the  lustre 
of  new  ideas,  fresh  born  from  heaven,  they 
emerged  to  gladden  the  world.  Following 
these  ideas  in  their  historic  development 
one  can  follow  the  doctrines  of  personal 
liberty,  rights  of  conscience,  human  brother- 


Presbyterian  Origins  13 

hood,  and  free  government,  springing  up 
in  Scotland  and  Holland  and  France  almost 
simultaneously,  toward  one  sourceful  foun- 
tain; for  it  requires  no  profound  or  pro- 
longed study  of  historic  tendencies  to  dis- 
cover that  emigrants  from  Scotland,  and 
the  Netherlands,  and  England,  and  France, 
drank  their  first  drafts  of  intellectual  and 
spiritual  liberty  in  the  new-born  republic 
of  the  city  of  Geneva. 

Greene,  in  his  history  of  the  English  peo- 
ple, recognizes  truly  the  genesis  of  the  new 
life  of  Europe,  and  of  the  Reformation 
when  he  says,  "As  a  vast  and  consecrated 
democracy  it  stood  in  contrast  with  the 
whole  social  and  political  framework  of  the 
European  nations.  Grave  as  we  may  count 
the  faults  of  Calvinism,  alien  as  its  temper 
may  be  in  many  ways  from  the  temper  of 
the  modern  world,  it  is  in  Calvinism  that 
the  modern  world  strikes  its  roots,  for  it  was 
Calvinism  that  first  revealed  the  worth  and 
dignity  of  man.     Called  of  God  and  heir  of 


14  The  Presbyterians 

heaven,  the  trader  at  his  counter  and  the 
digger  of  the  field  suddenly  rose  into  equal- 
ity with  the  noble  and  the  king." 

Motley  says:  "To  the  Calvinists,  more 
than  to  any  other  class  of  men,  the  political 
liberties  of  Holland,  England  and  America 
are  due."  Hume  says:  'Mt  was  to  the 
Puritans  that  the  English  owe  the  whole 
freedom  of  their  constitution."  Of  the 
Scotch  clergy,  Buckle  testifies:  "To  these 
men  England  and  Scotland  owe  a  debt  they 
can  never  pay."  Our  great  historian,  Ban- 
croft, says:  "He  that  will  not  honor  the 
memory  and  respect  the  influence  of  Calvin, 
knows  but  little  of  the  origin  of  American 
Independence." 

Democratic  government,  free  institutions, 
free  schools,  popular  education,  are  the 
nerve  ideas  traceable  to  Geneva  and  John 
Calvin.  The  marks  of  their  origin  are  dis- 
tinctly upon  them.  They  go  down  from 
that  elevation  to  Holland,  Spain  and  Eng- 
land, and  so  to  the  United  States  by  way  of 


Presbyterian  Origins  15 

Southampton  and  Delfthaven  and  London- 
derry and  Havre. 

That  this  tendency  may  be  clear  in  our 
minds  and  our  obligation  to  that  centre 
may  be  distinctly  recognized,  let  us  notice 
how  these  nerve  ideas  reappear  successively 
in  the  lands  whence  our  fathers  came.  It 
will  illustrate  how  through 

"  The  ages  one  increasing  purpose  runs ; 
And  the  thoughts  of  men  are  widened  by  the  process 
of  the  suns." 

The  most  potent  form  of  Presbyterianism 
that  came  to  this  country  came  from  Scot- 
land. As  early  as  the  sixth  century  Co- 
lumba,  a  native  of  Ireland,  organized  the 
Church  of  the  Culdees  in  Scotland.  For 
centuries  they  were  witnesses  of  the  truth, 
bearing  often  the  persecutions  of  the  Catho- 
lic domination.  The  Scotch  Reformation 
was  only  a  revival  of  the  primitive  Chris- 
tianity which  the  Scotch  had  practiced  for 
centuries.     It  had  been  buried  by  Romish 


l6  The  Presbyterians 

power  but  at  the  first  touch  of  the  Refor- 
mation it  sprang  to  life.  The  first  bond  to 
bind  together  those  who  had  received  the 
new  truths  was  **The  First  Covenant" 
signed  in  Edinburgh  December  3d,  1557. 
After  many  struggles  the  party  of  reform 
conquered  and  in  1560  Parliament  abolished 
Roman  Catholic  worship,  adopted  a  Con- 
fession of  Faith  conformed  to  the  Reformed 
churches  on  the  continent,  appointed  min- 
isters in  eight  principal  cities  and  superin- 
tendents for  other  districts.  In  December 
of  that  year  the  first  General  Assembly 
was  constituted.  John  Knox  was  the 
leader  in  these  movements.  He  had  sat  at 
the  feet  of  Calvin  and  became  the  most 
illustrious  exponent  of  Calvinism  in  Scot- 
land. At  last,  after  long  conflict  between 
the  nobles  and  the  people,  and  the  king  and 
the  people,  in  1592  Knox  and  his  great  as- 
sociate, Andrew  Melville,  secured  the  com- 
plete recognition  of  the  Calvinistic  faith  and 
the  Presbyterian  form  of  Government  as 


Presbyterian  Origins  17 

the  established  religion  of  Scotland.  James 
I,  however,  soon  tried  to  force  the 
Episcopal  polity,  which  was  complaisant 
toward  his  ambitions,  on  his  Scottish  sub- 
jects. In  this  he  was  followed  by  his  suc- 
cessors Charles  I,  Charles  II,  and  James  II. 
Bloody  persecutions  followed.  Martyrdoms 
uncounted  added  new  glory  to  Scottish 
history.  The  revolt  against  the  Stuart 
tyranny  spread  through  the  two  kingdoms. 
After  enduring  for  a  short  time  the  cruel 
and  imbecile  reign  of  James  II  the  people  in 
1688  rose  in  their  might  and  hurling  him 
from  his  throne  gave  the  crown  to  William 
and  Mary  who  restored  civil  and  religious 
liberty. 

But  during  the  persecutions  of  the  pre- 
ceding years  multitudes  of  the  Scotch  peo- 
ple fled  from  their  homes  and  found  a  ref- 
uge in  Ireland.  For  a  while  they  found  tol- 
eration. But  when  Wentworth  was  made 
the  head  of  the  Irish  government,  rules 
of    strict    conformity    to    the    Established 


l8  The  Presbyterians 

Church  were  enforced.  Presbyterian  min- 
isters who  refused  to  conform  were  driven 
into  exile.  In  1642  Ireland  had  need  of  a 
Scottish  army  to  help  put  down  the  rebel- 
lion. Again  Presbyterianism  obtained  a 
footing  and  the  first  Presbytery  was  formed 
in  Ulster  on  the  tenth  of  June,  1642. 

The  immigration  from  Scotland  now 
increased.  Thus  the  Scotch  and  Irish 
Churches,  though  not  originally  united  were 
one  in  that  both  grew  out  of  persecution, 
had  similar  struggles  and  triumphs. 

Meantime,  the  dynasty  of  the  Stuarts  was 
making  life  intolerable  for  all  lovers  of 
liberty.  Presbyterians,  while  allowed  the 
exercise  of  their  worship  and  of  their  church 
government,  were  excluded  from  office; 
were  required  to  have  marriages  solemnized 
by  English  ministers  and  otherwise  were 
ill-treated.  This,  together  with  the  troubles 
between  the  people  and  their  Irish  land- 
lords, brought  many  of  them  to  America, 
depleted  the  Ulster  colony  and  strengthened 


Presbyterian  Origins  19 

that  Scotch-Irish  element  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  in  this  country  on  which  its  strength 
has  so  largely  depended.  The  Scotch  and 
Irish  set  their  faces  toward  the  new  world 
as  offering  an  asylum  for  the  oppressed. 
So  all  through  the  second  century  of  our 
country  a  large  and  very  important  part  of 
our  immigration  consisted  of  Scotch  and 
Scotch-Irish  Presbyterians.  They  settled 
largely  in  Pennsylvania,  Delaware,  Mary- 
land and  Virginia. 

Another  stream  came  from  France.  They 
were  the  Huguenots,  the  party  which  in 
France  represented  the  principles  of  the 
Reformation.  Calvin  began  to  preach  the 
new  doctrines  in  the  University  of  Paris  as 
early  as  1533.  They  rapidly  took  hold  of 
the  people.  Protestantism  grew  apace. 
Attempts  to  check  it  by  persecution  only 
fanned  its  flames.  Not  only  the  common 
people  but  men  of  rank  and  influence 
joined  its  standards.  Catherine  tried  to 
crush    it    by  force.     And  in  vain.     Then 


20  The  Presbyterians 

she  tried  treachery;  and  the  massacre  of 
St.  Bartholomew — the  most  awful  butch- 
ery on  record — followed  on  August  24th, 
1572,  when  Admiral  Coligny  and  5,000 
Huguenots  were  mercilessly  slain  in  the 
streets  of  Paris.  In  sixty  days  through- 
out France  it  is  estimated  that  70,000  per- 
sons lost  their  lives.  It  is  said  that  when 
Philip  II  of  Spain  heard  it,  he  laughed  for 
the  first  and  only  time  in  his  life  and  that 
Rome,  when  the  tidings  came,  was  delirious 
with  joy.  War  after  war  succeeded  until 
Henry  IV,  originally  a  Protestant  but  later  a 
Catholic  for  political  reasons,  on  April  15th, 
1599,  issued  the  Edict  of  Nantes  guarantee- 
ing religious  protection  to  the  Protestants. 
With  the  exception  of  a  few  towns,  they 
were  allowed  to  worship  in  their  own  way 
throughout  the  kingdom.  They  were  al- 
lowed to  hold  office.  Their  poor  and  sick 
were  to  be  admitted  to  hospitals  and  their 
ministers  were  to  be  supported  by  the 
state.     With    the   accession,    however,    of 


Presbyterian  Origins  21 

Louis  XIII  the  Edict  of  Toleration  was  prac- 
tically disregarded.  Richelieu,  who  had 
been  called  into  the  councils  of  Louis,  de- 
termined to  crush  the  Huguenots  whose 
destruction  he  regarded  as  essential  to  the 
power  of  France.  On  the  accession  of 
Louis  XIV  the  Protestants  were  for  a  time 
protected,  but  on  the  death  of  Louis  XIV 
and  of  Cardinal  Mazarin,  the  successor  of 
Richelieu,  the  free  exercise  of  religion  was 
once  more  in  jeopardy.  Things  went  from 
bad  to  worse. 

On  October  23d,  1685,  Louis  revoked  the 
Edict  of  Nantes.  The  Protestant  religion 
was  prohibited.  Even  private  worship  was 
forbidden.  Protestant  pastors  were  to  re- 
move from  the  kingdom  within  fifteen  days; 
all  Protestant  schools  were  closed. 

There  was  nothing  left  now  for  the  de- 
voted friends  of  the  Reformation  but  to 
leave  the  country  they  loved.  Sismondi 
computed  that  the  total  number  of  those 
who  emigrated  was  between  three  and  four 


22  The  Presbyterians 

hundred  thousand.  A  like  number  had 
perished  in  prison,  on  the  scaffold,  at  the 
galleys  and  in  their  attempts  to  escape.  It 
is  impossible  to  say  how  large  were  the 
colonies  that  came  to  the  United  States,  but 
they  were  settled  at  an  early  day  in  New 
York,  Maryland,  Virginia  and  the  Carolinas. 
The  French  language  was  used  in  preach- 
ing in  Boston  till  the  close  of  the  eighteenth 
century  and  Huguenot  services  were  cele- 
brated in  French  and  English  as  late  as 
1772.  The  Huguenot  church  in  Charleston, 
South  Carolina,  has  retained  in  its  primitive 
purity  the  old  Calvinistic  liturgy  of  its  fore- 
fathers. "These  pious  fugitives  have  be- 
come public  blessings  throughout  the 
world  and  have  increased  in  Germany, 
Holland,  and  England  the  elements  of 
power,  prosperity,  and  Christian  develop- 
ment. In  our  land,  too,  they  helped  to  lay 
the  firm  corner-stones  of  the  great  republic 
whose  glory  they  most  justly  share." 
A   not  unimportant  contribution  to   the 


Presbyterian  Origins  23 

Presbyterian  history  of  our  country  came 
from  England.  The  Pilgrims  went  to  Hol- 
land in  1608, — the  year  after  the  first  Prot- 
estant colony  came  to  Virginia.  After 
twelve  years  at  Leyden  they  came  to  Ply- 
mouth and  formed  the  first  Christian  set- 
tlement in  New  England.  A  few  years 
later  another  Puritan  element  came  directly 
from  England  and  constituted  the  Massa- 
chusetts Bay  Colony.  In  August,  1629,  a 
church  was  organized  with  the  Rev.  Samuel 
Skelton  as  pastor,  Francis  Higginson  as 
teacher,  and  Mr.  Houghton  as  elder. 

The  difference  between  the  Puritans  who 
came  to  this  country  directly  from  England 
and  the  Pilgrims  who  came  by  way  of  Hol- 
land is  expressed  in  the  words  said  to  have 
been  uttered  by  Mr.  Higginson  on  leaving 
England:  "We  will  not  say,  as  the  Separa- 
tists were  wont  to  say  at  their  leaving  Eng- 
land, Farewell,  Babylon!  Farewell,  Rome! 
But  we  will  say.  Farewell,  dear  England! 
Farewell,  the  church  of  God  in  England, 


24  The  Presbyterians 

and  all  the  Christian  friends  there!  We  do 
not  go  to  New  England  as  Separatists  from 
the  Church  of  England;  though  we  cannot 
but  separate  from  the  corruptions  in  it;  but 
we  go  to  practice  the  positive  part  of 
church  reformation  and  propagate  the 
gospel  in  America"  (Cotton  Mather,  Mag- 
nalia,  I,  p.  362;  H.  M.  Dexter,  Congrega- 
tionalism, p.  414). 

It  probably  is  historically  true  that  the 
chief  obligation  of  New  England  is  not  to 
the  few  Pilgrims  who  settled  the  Plymouth 
colony  (though  those  100  souls  undoubt- 
edly gave  a  stamp  which  never  was  effaced 
from  colonial  history)  but  to  the  Puritans 
who  at  the  English  Revolution  in  large 
numbers  came  to  our  shores  and  formed 
the  Massachusetts  Bay  Colony.  They  com- 
prised the  very  best  elements  of  English 
society.  The  20,000  who,  with  Hooker, 
Winthrop  and  Mather  between  1630  and 
1640  settled  New  England,  gave  us  the  dis- 
tinctive type  of  Puritan  life  which,  with  all 


Presbyterian  Origins  25 

its  faults,  has  been  one  of  the  grandest  ever 
impressed  on  a  young  nation,  and  the 
source  of  much  of  the  intellectual  and 
moral  power  which  made  New  England 
eminent  in  colonizing  energy,  all  the  way 
to  the  western  prairies.  But  this  superb 
ideal  of  a  universal  Christian  kingdom  on 
earth  was  dreamed  long  before  by  the  great 
Genevese  reformer  in  his  "Institutes  of 
Religion." 

It  is  evident  that  there  was  among  the 
Puritans  of  the  Massachusetts  Bay  Colony 
a  strong  tendency  to  Presbyterian  polity. 
While  the  churches  were  organized  on  an 
independent  basis  they  usually  had  one  or 
more  elders  associated  with  the  minister  in 
the  government  of  the  congregation.  Dr. 
Briggs  in  his  "American  Presbyterianism  " 
mentions  the  following  prominent  ministers 
as  holding  to  the  Presbyterian  form  of  gov- 
ernment: "Thomas  Parker  and  James 
Noyes  of  Newbury,  Mass.,  John  Eliot  the 
Apostle   to    the   Indians,    Peter   Hobart   of 


26  The  Presbyterians 

Hingham,  and  John  Young  and  Richard 
Denton  of  Long  Island."  Indeed  through- 
out the  Massachusetts  Bay  Colony  the  local 
congregations  were  as  a  rule  formed  on  the 
Genevan  model, — they  were  independent 
of  ecclesiastical  control  outside  of  them- 
selves but  their  own  governing  body  was  a 
bench  of  elders.  A  compromise  as  to  gov- 
ernment was  made  necessary  by  circum- 
stances. A  congregationalized  Presbyteri- 
anism  spread  throughout  New  England.  As 
the  years  went  on,  however.  Independency 
gained  ground  by  immigration  from  Eng- 
land and  the  Presbyterian  element  largely 
emigrated  to  New  York  and  New  Jersey. 

This  statement  of  origins  would  not  be 
complete  without  a  recognition  of  the 
Dutch  element  in  our  population.  They 
were  essentially  Presbyterian.  They  im- 
bibed their  ideas  of  civil  and  religious  lib- 
erty from  Geneva — fought  for  it  behind  the 
sheltering  dikes  of  Holland  and  then  when 
a  new  theatre  for  its  development  appeared 


Presbyterian  Origins  27 

on  this  side  of  the  water  took  their  share  in 
transplanting  those  ideas  to  a  more  con- 
genial climate.  It  is  true  the  Dutch  were 
not  driven  hither  by  storms  of  persecution 
as  was  the  case  with  the  EngHsh,  Scotch, 
Irish  and  French.  Coming  freely  by  per- 
ception of  the  advantages  the  new  world 
offered,  they  maintained  on  these  shores,  as 
did  the  other  colonies,  the  principles  en- 
deared to  them  by  battles  and  martyrdom. 

It  is  thus  apparent  that  Presbyterianism 
in  this  country  is  the  resultant  of  national 
forces,  diverse  in  their  character  and  yet 
one  in  their  great  moulding  principles. 
These  principles  are  the  Reformation  doc- 
trines expounded  by  Calvin  and  filtrated 
through  English,  Scotch,  Irish,  Dutch  and 
French  history  and  coming  to  unity  in  the 
Presbyterian  life  of  America. 

Mr.  Herbert  Spencer  has  said,  "  It  may,  I 
think,  be  reasonably  held  that  both  because 
of  its  size  and  the  heterogeneity  of  its  com- 
ponents, the  American  nation  will  be  a  long 


28  The  Presbyterians 

time  in  evolving  its  ultimate  form,  but  that 
its  ultimate  form  will  be  high.  One  result 
is,  I  think,  tolerably  clear.  From  biological 
truths  it  is  to  be  inferred  that  the  eventual 
mixture  of  the  allied  varieties  of  the  Aryan 
race,  forming  the  population,  will  produce 
a  more  powerful  type  of  man  than  has 
hitherto  existed,  and  a  type  of  man  more 
plastic,  more  adaptable,  more  capable  of 
undergoing  modification  needful  for  com- 
plete social  life." 

We  may  expect  therefore  that  the  Pres- 
byterianism  of  the  United  States  will  be 
both  plastic  and  powerful  representing  the 
best  type  of  the  great  Reformation  doc- 
trines. 

As  one  of  the  results  of  this  evolution  the 
polity  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  has  been 
developed  more  fully  in  this  country  than 
in  any  other.  Of  course  the  essential  prin- 
ciples of  that  polity  are  everywhere  the 
same,  viz.,  the  representative  church  gov- 
ernment and  the   parity   of  the   ministry. 


Presbyterian  Origins  29 

It  is  distinguished  from  Independency  by 
the  former  characteristic  and  from  every 
form  of  Episcopacy  by  the  latter.  Its  gov- 
ernment by  representatives  allies  it  to  our 
republican  form  of  government. 

The  constitution  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  rests  upon  essentially  the  same 
principles  as  that  of  the  State,  and  it  re- 
mains to-day,  without  essential  change,  the 
basis  of  all  our  legislation.  Rising  from  it 
are  our  representative  church  courts  in 
direct  connection  with  the  people  and  at 
the  summit  is  our  Supreme  Court  guarding 
the  rights  of  individuals  and  the  stability  of 
church  government. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  insist,  as  is  some- 
times done,  that  the  nation  copied  the 
Presbyterian  Church  in  deciding  its  consti- 
tution and  government.  It  is  enough  to 
say  that  the  two  conventions,  meeting  at 
the  same  time  in  the  same  city  and  with 
some  identity  in  membership,  doubtless 
mutually  influenced  each  other  and  that  the 


30  The  Presbyterians 

two  forms  of  government  then  announced 
are  identical  in  depending  upon  popular 
representation  as  the  essential  basis  of  leg- 
islation. The  Presbyterian  Church,  holding 
the  ecclesiastical  equality  of  all  ministers, 
unites  them  and  ruling  elders,  the  direct 
representatives  of  the  people,  in  all  her 
church  courts. 

Beginning  with  the  individual  church  the 
first  court  is  the  church  session,  made  up 
of  the  elders  of  the  church  and  the  minister 
of  the  congregation.  To  them  is  commit- 
ted all  spiritual  rule  and  authority.  Above 
the  session  of  the  individual  church  is  the 
Presbytery,  composed  of  the  ministers  and 
one  ruling  elder  from  all  the  churches 
within  a  given  district.  Appeal  can  be 
taken  from  any  action  of  the  session  to  the 
Presbytery.  Above  the  Presbytery  is  the 
Synod,  which  in  this  country  usually  em- 
braces a  state  and  which  is  composed 
either  of  the  ministers  and  representatives 
of  each  church  session  or  now  in  the  larger 


Presbyterian  Origins  31 

synods  by  delegates  chosen  by  the  Presby- 
tery in  some  given  ratio.  Appeal  may  be 
taken  from  any  action  of  Presbytery  to  the 
Synod.  The  final  court  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  in  this  country  is  the  General  As- 
sembly, which  consists  of  representatives 
in  equal  proportion  of  ministers  and  elders 
chosen  by  the  Presbyteries. 

As  to  doctrine :  The  Presbyterian  Church 
lays  its  supreme  stress  upon  the  Augus- 
tinian  doctrine  of  divine  sovereignty  and 
free  grace.  Consequently  Calvin  in  his 
"  Institutes  of  Religion  " — the  work  which 
may  be  regarded  as  the  fountain  head  of 
Calvinism — magnifies  the  doctrines  of  ef- 
fectual calling,  divine  adoption  and  divine 
grace.  It  was  opposed  on  the  one  hand  to 
the  Lutheran  doctrines  of  consubstantiation 
by  which  divine  grace  was  closely  tied  to 
the  sacraments,  the  Presbyterian  Church 
maintaining  that  salvation  is  not  dependent 
upon  any  external  rites  or  ceremonies  but 
wholly  and  only  on  the  unmerited  grace  of 


lU 


32  The  Presbyterians 

God.  It  was  opposed  on  the  other  hand  to 
Arminianism  which  made  salvation  to  de- 
pend upon  the  free  will  and  choice  of  men, 
the  Presbyterian  Church  holding  that  the 
choice  unto  salvation  is  of  God  while  yet 
man  is  left  entirely  free  in  the  acceptance 
of  the  offers  of  salvation. 

The  standards  of  doctrine  in  the  Presby- 
terian Church  are  the  Westminster  Confes- 
sion of  Faith  and  the  Longer  and  Shorter 
Catechisms.  They  are  to  be  received  by 
ministers  and  elders  as  containing  the  sys- 
tem of  doctrine  taught  in  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures.    They  are  not  imposed  upon  private 

embers  of  the  church.  Of  them  only 
faith  in  Christ  and  a  purpose  to  live  a  Chris- 
tian life  is  required. 

The  part  played  by  Presbyterians  in  the 
subsequent  development  of  the  Presby- 
terian polity  will  appear  in  the  following 
chapters.  It  was  to  be  expected  from  their 
origin  that  they  would  be  fighters  for  free- 
dom.    Their  first  fight  was  for  the  inde- 


Presbyterian  Origins  33 

pendence  of  the  colonies.  Their  second 
fight  was  against  the  wilderness,  to  subju- 
gate it  by  the  force  of  Christian  civilization. 
This  has  been  the  battle  of  a  century,  dur- 
ing which  the  standards  first  planted  in 
New  England  snows  or  the  solitudes  of 
southern  palmettos  have  been  pressed  on- 
ward at  the  front  of  the  pioneer  advance 
until  crossing  mountains  and  plains  and 
mountains  again  they  were  erected  among 
the  palm  groves  of  California,  and  in  the 
snows  of  Alaska,  to  claim  our  country  for 
Christ.  The  story  of  this  advancing  cause 
will  be  the  burden  of  these  brief  pages. 


CHAPTER  II 

LAYING  FOUNDATIONS 

The  Presbyterian  Church  was  fortunate 
in  the  men  who  first  impressed  themselves 
on  the  unformed  communities  of  the  new 
world.  The  early  settlements  in  New  Eng- 
land were  largely  Calvinistic  in  theology 
and  divided  as  to  polity  between  Independ- 
ents and  Presbyterians. 

In  1620  the  Mayflower  brought  the  Pil- 
grims who  constituted  the  Plymouth  Colony. 
The  Massachusetts  Bay  Colony  coming  five 
years  later  was  Presbyterian.  It  was  sup- 
ported by  the  Presbyterians  of  England. 
The  first  church  in  this  colony  was  organ- 
ized in  1629. 

The  Puritan  spirit  was  a  spirit  of  refor- 
mation and  missions.  Unhappy  theological 
distinctions  at  an  early  period  vexed  and 
34 


Laying  Foundations  35 

ultimately  divided  the  Church;  but  the  be- 
ginnings were  those  of  a  missionary  pur- 
pose— single — devoted — self-sacrificing. 

In  no  one  personality  of  those  early 
leaders  is  this  missionary  spirit  so  manifest 
as  in  the  life  and  work  of  John  Eliot — "the 
Apostle  to  the  Indians."  After  a  residence 
of  several  years  at  Roxbury,  during  which 
time  he  devoted  himself  to  acquiring  the 
Indian  language,  in  October,  1646,  he  began 
his  ministry  among  the  Indians  living  along 
the  banks  of  the  Charles  River. 

England  and  Scotland  took  a  lively  in- 
terest in  his  mission.  Nearly  twenty  years 
before  the  beginning  of  his  labors  the  char- 
ter granted  the  Presbyterian  Colony  of 
Massachusetts  Bay  declared  that  to  "win 
and  incite  the  natives  of  the  country  to  the 
knowledge  and  obedience  of  the  only  true 
God  and  Saviour  of  mankind  and  the  Chris- 
tian faith  was  in  the  royal  intention  and  the 
adventurers'  free  profession  the  principal 
end  of  this  plantation." 


36  The  Presbyterians 

However  far  the  American  people  have 
strayed  from  this  sublime  purpose  in  their 
subsequent  relations  with  the  natives,  it  is 
refreshing  to  recall  that  the  first  aim  of  that 
colony  which  so  impressed  itself  on  the 
subsequent  history  of  New  England  was  to 
establish  the  gospel  not  only  among  the 
colonists  but  as  well  and  chiefly  among  the 
natives.  That  this  aim  was  strongly  sup- 
ported in  the  mother  country  is  evident  in 
the  organization,  by  authority  of  Parliament 
in  1649  of  the  "Society  for  the  propagation 
of  the  gospel  in  New  England."  The 
charter  of  all  subsequent  missionary  opera- 
tions in  our  country  may  be  read  in  the 
words  in  which  this  society  was  authorized 
"to  receive  and  dispose  of  monies  in  such 
manner  as  shall  best  and  principally  con- 
duce to  the  preaching  and  propagating  of 
the  gospel  among  the  natives  and  for  the 
maintenance  of  schools  and  nurseries  of 
learning  for  the  education  of  the  children  of 
the  natives."    A  collection  taken  in  England 


Laying  Foundations  37 

and  Wales  for  this  great  undertaking  re- 
sulted in  about  ^12,000.  Tlnis  sum,  so 
large  for  those  times,  is  proof  of  a  foreign 
missionary  spirit  centuries  before  the  mod- 
ern organization  of  the  cause.  The  Pres- 
byterian  Church  in  England  was  so  steady 
a  contributor  to  the  missions  of  Eliot  on  the 
mainland  and  Mayhew  and  others  on  Mar- 
tha's Vineyard  and  the  Elizabeth  Isles,  that 
by  1689  the  work  among  the  Indians 
showed  six  churches  and  twenty-four 
preachers.  Many  of  these  were  natives 
who  had  been  trained  and  ordained  by 
Eliot.  The  churches  organized  by  Eliot 
had  a  bench  of  ruling  elders,  and  Presby- 
teries were  constituted  ''for  advice  and 
consultation  only,"  a  compromise  with  the 
Congregational  polity  made  necessary  by 
the  circumstances. 

Presbyterianism  came  to  New  York  first 
by  way  of  New  England.  Disputes  con- 
cerning baptism  and  other  non-essentials, 
growing  so  violent  as  to  result  in  persecu- 


38  The  Presbyterians 

tion,  drove  out  of  New  England  some  of 
her  best  men  to  find  homes  and  service 
elsewhere.  Among  these  was  the  Rev. 
Francis  Doughty — the  first  Presbyterian 
minister  of  New  York  City.  Silenced  for 
non-conformity  in  England  he  emigrated  to 
the  new  world  and  settled  at  Taunton, 
Mass.,  in  1637.  After  establishing  a  church 
there  his  views  on  infant  baptism  brought 
such  persecution  upon  him  that  he  was  ob- 
liged to  flee  the  country.  He  found  a 
refuge  on  Long  Island,  with  the  purpose  of 
establishing  there  a  Presbyterian  colony. 
Indian  wars  broke  up  the  colony  and 
Doughty  escaped  to  Manhattan  Island 
where  he  ministered  for  five  years  as  the 
pastor  of  a  congregation  which  later  be- 
came the  First  Presbyterian  church.  A  con- 
flict with  the  Dutch  Governor  made  it 
necessary  for  him  to  leave  the  city.  He 
found  a  home  in  Maryland  where  he  labored 
until  his  death,  a  faithful  and  honored 
preacher    of    the    gospel.     Dr.    Charles  A 


Laying  Foundations  39 

Briggs  calls  him  "the  Apostle  of  Presby- 
terianism  in  America."  "  He  preached  here 
and  there  to  little  flocks  which  were  subse- 
quently gathered  into  the  Presbyterian 
Church  when  it  was  organized  into  Presby- 
teries and  Synods.  Driven  from  one  place 
by  intolerance  and  persecution  he  fled  to 
another.  He  carried  on  his  Master's  work 
in  spite  of  difficulties  of  every  kind."  Un- 
compromising men  were  needed  for  those 
days.     Doughty  was  one  of  them. 

Richard  Denton  was  the  second  Presby- 
terian minister  to  preach  in  New  York  City. 
He  too  was  a  New  Englander.  Coming 
from  England  in  1630  he  setled  first  at 
Wethersfield,  Conn.,  and  later  at  Stamford. 
In  1644,  with  a  portion  of  his  flock  he 
crossed  the  sound  to  Hempstead,  L.  I.  He 
preached  there  and  in  New  York  until  1658 
when  he  returned  to  England.  He  seems 
to  have  occupied  the  building  in  which  the 
Dutch  congregation  worshipped  and  to 
have  continued  the  labors  of  his  predeces- 


40  The  Presbyterians 

sor,  Francis  Doughty.  He  was  recognized 
as  a  Presbyterian  by  the  Dutch  pastors  of 
the  city  who  said  of  him  that  he  was,  *'an 
honest,  pious  and  learned  man." 

But  the  man  who  has  the  honor  of  laying 
the  foundations  of  organized  Presbyterian- 
ism  in  this  country  is  Francis  Makemie — an 
Irishman  from  Donegal  County,  Ireland, 
who  after  a  brief  missionary  tour  in  the 
Barbadoes  came  to  the  eastern  shore  of 
Maryland  and  organized  the  Presbyterian 
church  of  Snow  Hill  in  1684.  It  is  worth 
mentioning  that  in  those  days  of  the  intol- 
erance of  the  English  Church,  the  Presby- 
terian Church  began  its  existence  in  a 
colony  founded  by  Lord  Baltimore,  a  Ro- 
man Catholic  nobleman!  Makemie  was 
the  man  for  the  time.  Resolute,  grave, 
self-sacrificing,  and  utterly  devoted  to  giv- 
ing the  gospel  to  as  many  communities  as 
he  could  reach — he  journeyed  in  restless 
and  perilous  adventure  from  the  Carolinas 
to  New  York,  gathering  together  **the  poor 


Laying  Foundations  41 

desolate  people  "  wherever  opportunity  of- 
fered and  preaching  to  them  with  the  zeal 
of  an  apostle  the  gospel  which  came  to 
many  in  their  isolation  like  a  strain  of  half- 
forgotten  music.  Everywhere  he  found 
welcome.  His  hardships  were  continuous, 
but  nothing  daunted  him.  "In  labors  more 
abundant"  might  be  written  of  him  as  of 
Paul.  He  not  only  itinerated  from  one  of 
the  colonies  to  the  other,  but  he  crossed  the 
ocean  and  pleaded  with  ministers  and 
people  in  London  for  men  and  money  with 
which  to  respond  to  the  calls  of  the  wilder- 
ness-swallowed people  of  the  new  world. 
He  not  only  labored  and  journeyed,  he 
also  suffered  for  the  cause  he  loved.  In 
New  York  he  was  thrown  into  prison  for 
preaching  without  license  and,  though  the 
imprisonment  was  shown  to  be  illegal,  he 
and  his  associate  Hampton,  after  six  weeks 
in  jail,  were  obliged  to  pay  a  bill  of  costs 
amounting  to  more  than  eighty-three 
pounds. 


42  The  Presbyterians 

Thus  far  no  Presbytery  had  been  organ- 
ized. There  were  scattered  Presbyterian 
churches  all  the  way  from  Boston  to  Vir- 
ginia, but  they  were  isolated  flocks,  Pres- 
byterian in  their  origin  and  sympathies  and 
modeled  after  the  polity  of  the  Church  in 
that  they  had  ruling  elders,  but  by  neces- 
sity of  the  situation  they  were  separate 
and  independent  churches.  The  name  of 
Makemie  is  connected  with  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  Church  in  this  country  in  that 
he  was  the  Moderator  of  the  first  Pres- 
bytery, which  convened  in  Philadelphia  in 
1705. 

Some  kind  of  informal  Presbyterial  Con- 
ference must  have  been  held  in  Philadel- 
phia in  1 701,  when  it  appears  Jedediah 
Andrews  was  ordained  to  the  ministry. 
But  not  until  four  years  later  was  there  a 
regular  organization.  The  first  pages  of 
the  minutes  of  that  meeting  are  lost.  The 
preceding  year  Makemie  had  gone  to  Eng- 
land in  search  of  help.    The  London  minis- 


Laying  Foundations  43 

ters  responded  to  his  appeal  and  furnished 
funds  to  sustain  missionaries.  Two  men 
answered  the  call  and  John  Hampton,  an 
Irishman,  and  George  McNish,  a  Scotchman, 
accompanied  Makemie  on  his  return.  These 
three,  with  Jedediah  Andrews,  John  Wil- 
son, Nathaniel  Taylor  and  Samuel  Davies 
constituted  the  first  Presbytery.  The  cos- 
mopolitan character  of  American  Presby- 
terianism  is  foreshadowed  in  the  personnel 
of  that  Presbytery.  Scotch-Irish,  Scotch 
and  Irish  ministers  united  with  New  Eng- 
land Puritans  in  the  organization.  It  was 
less  an  ecclesiastical  than  a  missionary 
organization.  Pressed  by  their  isolation 
and  need  of  mutual  encouragement  this 
first  Presbytery  was  as  Makemie  described 
it  chiefly  a  '' meeting  of  ministers  for  min- 
isterial exercise  to  consult  the  most  proper 
measures  for  advancing  religion  and  propa- 
gating Christianity."  All  the  correspond- 
ence of  the  Presbytery  with  kindred  bodies 
in  New  England  and  Europe  breathes  the 


44  The  Presbyterians 

same  spirit  of  devotion  to  the  souls  of 
men.  A  letter  to  Connecticut  ministers 
written  in  1708,  declares  the  object  of 
the  formation  of  the  Presbytery  to  have 
been  "for  the  furthering  and  promoting 
the  true  interests  of  religion  and  godliness." 
In  a  letter  the  next  year  to  Sir  Edmund  Har- 
rison, an  eminent  dissenter  in  London,  they 
say:  "  It  is  a  sore  distress  and  trouble  to  us 
that  we  are  not  able  to  comply  with  the 
desires  of  sundry  places  crying  unto  us  for 
ministers  to  deal  forth  the  word  of  life  unto 
them."  These  appeals  for  help  were  not 
in  vain.  Liberal  responses  came  from  the 
mother  country.  The  churches  grew  and 
were  strengthened  and  new  stations  were 
occupied.  And  yet  how  feeble  were  those 
beginnings.  Only  a  large  faith  could  have 
seen  in  them  ground  for  encouragement. 
In  1 7 10,  in  a  letter  to  the  Presbytery  of 
Dublin  they  confess  and  deplore  their 
weakness.  "In  Virginia  there  was  but  one 
congregation,  in  Maryland  four,  in  Penn- 


Laying  Foundations  45 

sylvania  five  and  in  the  Jerseys  two,  with 
some  places  in  New  York." 

From  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth 
century  the  growth  of  the  Presbytery  was 
steady  and  rapid.  Ministers  from  Ireland 
and  Scotland  came  in  increasing  numbers. 
On  Long  Island  several  churches  had  been 
organized,  chiefly  by  Puritan  ministers  from 
New  England.  These  churches  were  some- 
times called  Independent,  sometimes  Pres- 
byterian. As  a  rule  they  had  one  or  more 
elders  and  were  therefore  Presbyterian  in 
their  tendencies — though  a  complete  organ- 
ization was  at  that  time  impossible.  The 
churches  had  to  adapt  themselves  to  cir- 
cumstances and  the  ''feeble  folk"  were 
evidently  more  intent  on  the  propagation  of 
the  gospel  than  on  ecclesiastical  forms. 
These  developed  according  to  their  environ- 
ment, but  the  living  germ  was  faith  in  the 
gospel  and  a  burning  zeal  to  have  it  prevail. 

The  question  often  discussed  as  to  the 
nationalities  most  represented  in  the  Church 


46  The  Presbyterians 

of  that  time  is  not  easy  of  settlement  on 
account  of  defective  records.  That  the 
English  Revolution  had  sent  to  us  many 
Dissenters  from  England,  Scotland  and  Ire- 
land cannot  be  doubted.  This  is  specially 
true  of  those  who  landed  in  Virginia,  Mary- 
land and  Pennsylvania.  There  were  also  a 
number  of  Scotch  Presbyterians  settled  over 
Congregational  churches  in  New  England. 
Many  Puritan  and  English  ministers  had 
gone  south  from  Massachusetts  and  Con- 
necticut and  settled  in  Virginia  and  the 
Carolinas.  Among  the  Scotchmen  listed  in 
the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  we  find  the 
names  of  McNish,  Boyd,  Anderson,  Gil- 
lespie and  Witherspoon.  Ministers  from 
London  were  Lawson  and  McGill.  From 
Ireland  came  Makemie,  Hampton,  Henry 
and  Orr;  while  from  New  England  came 
Andrews,  Wilson,  Taylor,  Smith,  Wade, 
Morgan  and  Pomroy.  But  whatever  the 
national  origins  and  whatever  types  of 
Presbyterianism     they    represented    (if    in 


Laying  Foundations  47 

those  days  there  could  be  said  to  be  any 
types)  the  stress  of  common  necessities  and 
zeal  for  a  common  service  bound  them  in 
most  fraternal  ties.  In  view  of  the  divi- 
sions which  were  soon  to  follow,  one  lin- 
gers with  satisfaction  and  pride  over  har- 
monies of  early  Colonial  Church  life — har- 
monies undisturbed  by  rivalries  of  place  or 
doctrine.  The  differences  between  them 
had  been  large  enough  if  they  had  given 
time  to  think  upon  them.  But  these  differ- 
ences were  forgotten  in  the  pressure  of  the 
great  work  that  was  upon  them.  Their 
poverty  precluded  pride  and  their  weakness 
forbade  division.  The  new  century  there- 
fore opened  with  a  small  company  of  ear- 
nest souls — scattered — imperfectly  organ- 
ized— surrounded  by  dangers — hampered 
by  weakness,  but  burning  in  their  zeal 
and  triumphant  in  their  faith  over  all  the 
obstacles  that  blocked  their  path. 


CHAPTER  III 

OPENING  OF  A   NEW   CENTURY 

In  the  early  years  of  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury the  Church  grew  apace.  The  one 
Presbytery  no  longer  sufficed.  The  need 
for  a  division  of  Presbytery  was  less  in  its 
size  than  in  its  wide  dispersion  which  ren- 
dered attendance  on  its  meetings  both  diffi- 
cult and  burdensome.  Moreover  there  were 
now  many  churches  in  New  England  and 
Long  Island  which  were  independent  less 
by  conviction  than  necessity.  They  would 
gladly  be  Presbyterian  if  there  were  a 
chance.  Mr.  McNish  who  had  been  Ma- 
kemie's  colaborer  in  Maryland  had  removed 
to  Jamaica,  L.  I.  He  was  desirous  of  secur- 
ing a  Presbyterial  organization  on  Long 
Island.     He  and  Pomroy  of  Newtown  were 

advised  "to  use  their  best  endeavors  with 
48 


Opening  of  a  New  Century      49 

the  neighboring  brethren  that  are  settled 
there  which  as  yet  join  not  with  us "  to 
unite  in  the  erection  of  a  Presbytery.  Thus 
was  formed  the  Presbytery  of  Long  Island. 
The  remaining  members  and  churches  of 
the  Presbytery  were  organized  into  the 
Presbyteries  of  Philadelphia,  New  Castle 
and  Snow  Hill.  So  in  a  single  decade 
the  little  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  had 
grown  into  a  Synod.  The  Presbyteries 
then  organized  were  of  course  small  and 
feeble,  but  they  constituted  local  centres 
that  gathered  to  themselves  the  strength 
of  the  churches  in  their  bounds  and  thus 
provided  for  the  more  rapid  increase  and 
the  better  organization  of  the  denomina- 
tion. 

One  cannot  look  back  on  these  early  days 
without  a  feeling  of  just  pride.  The  men 
who  at  that  time  represented  Presbyterian- 
ism  were  not  indeed  without  the  weak- 
nesses inherent  in  human  nature,  but  they 
were  heroes  in  a  service  of  rare  self-denial 


50  The  Presbyterians 

and  devotion.  In  poverty,  isolation,  ob- 
scurity and  often  in  great  physical  perils 
they  were  true  to  the  loftiest  aims  of  the 
gospel  and  toiled  under  its  best  inspirations. 
They  were  not  consumed  by  denomina- 
tional ambition  but  by  the  zeal  of  God's 
house  and  kingdom.  The  scant  records 
which  remain  of  their  proceedings  breathe 
a  supreme  desire  to  have  the  wilderness  lit 
by  gospel  light  and  organized  into  Christian 
institutions. 

Only  by  the  dominance  of  such  a  spirit 
could  have  been  secured  the  harmony 
which  up  to  this  time  marked  the  councils 
of  men  of  such  diverse  origin  and  training. 
The  men  from  New  England  wrought  in 
perfect  accord  with  those  from  Scotland, 
Ireland  and  Wales.  That  there  had  been 
great  differences  between  them — both  of 
doctrine  and  government — if  they  had 
stopped  to  inquire,  might  be  judged  from 
the  schools  whence  they  had  come.  But 
they  were  solidified   by   common   dangers 


Opening  of  a  New  Century      51 

and  pressed  too  sorely  by  common  necessi- 
ties to  give  attention  to  minor  differences. 
They  were  soldiers  at  the  heat  of  the  con- 
flict. It  was  no  lime  to  differentiate.  In 
the  light  of  subsequent  history  one  might 
almost  wish  that  the  pressure  of  hard  times 
had  never  been  lifted. 

A  glance  at  the  component  parts  of  the 
four  Presbyteries  constituting  the  first 
Synod  will  reveal  the  cosmopolitan  charac- 
ter of  early  Presbyterianism.  The  Congre- 
gational influence  and  tendency  were  strong 
in  the  Long  Island  Presbytery.  There  were 
only  four  churches  of  Presbyterian  order 
connected  with  it  at  its  organization  in 
1717,  namely,  Jamaica,  Newtown,  Setauket 
and  Southampton.  The  membership  was 
chiefly  from  New  England.  One  or  two 
of  the  churches  had  no  ruling  elders  until 
years  after  the  formation  of  the  Presbytery. 
Other  churches  on  the  island,  composed  of 
Congregational  elements,  gradually  came 
into  the  Presbytery.     Presbyterianism  there 


52  The  Presbyterians 

was  an  evolution  from  Congregational  ante- 
cedents. 

The  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  was  made 
up  of  two  pastors  from  New  England,  two 
from  Wales,  one  from  Scotland  and  one 
from  Ireland.  The  Newcastle  Presbytery 
was  wholly  Scotch  and  Scotch-Irish  and 
that  of  Snow  Hill,  having  only  three  mem- 
bers, consisted  likewise  of  foreign  min- 
isters. 

The  Church  thus  made  up  of  various 
elements  grew  in  strength  with  the  growth 
of  the  colonies.  So  far  it  had  made  no 
progress  in  the  city  of  New  York,  though 
Presbyterian  ministers  had  preached  there 
for  longer  or  shorter  periods.  The  reason 
for  its  failure  was  in  the  opposition  of  the 
Episcopal  Church.  So  long  as  Lord  Corn- 
berry  remained  governor  of  the  colony 
there  could  be  no  hope  of  religious  toler- 
ation. Every  effort  to  gather  the  Presby- 
terians of  Manhattan  Island  into  a  perma- 
nent congregation  was  thv/arted  until  dis- 


Opening  of  a  New  Century     53 

sensions  sprang  up  in  the  Episcopal  Church. 
Lord  Cornberry's  disgraceful  administration 
came  to  a  close  in  17 14.  Relieved  thus  of 
civic  disfavor  and  of  the  aggressive  spirit  of 
Episcopacy  which  had  sought  by  govern- 
mental aid  to  close  all  but  "the  Estab- 
lished" churches,  the  Presbyterians  who 
had  been  meeting  quietly  in  private  houses, 
determined  in  17 16  to  organize  a  church. 
They  called  the  Rev.  James  Anderson  from 
New  Castle,  Del.  He  was  favorably  re- 
ceived. The  infant  congregation  had  no 
building  for  worship  but  was  allowed  to 
occupy  the  Town  Hall,  where  regular  serv- 
ices were  maintained  for  about  three  years. 
Meantime  the  handful  of  Presbyterians  were 
busily  engaged  in  raising  funds  for  an  edi- 
fice of  their  own.  Their  appeals  for  help 
were  heeded.  Scotland  and  Connecticut 
responded  generously  and  in  17 19  on  a  lot 
in  Wall  Street  the  First  Presbyterian  Church 
was  erected. 
All   efforts  to  secure  a  charter  for  the 


54  The  Presbyterians 

church  were  thwarted  by  the  opposition  of 
Trinity  Church  which  was  still  claiming  to 
be  the  Church  of  New  York.  The  pastor 
and  a  few  members  of  the  church  held  the 
property  in  fee  simple  until  1730,  when, 
there  being  no  probability  of  securing  a 
charter,  it  was  transferred  to  the  Church  of 
Scotland  and  held  by  that  church  till  1766. 

The  imperious  spirit  of  Anderson  finally 
divided  the  church,  and  Jonathan  Edwards 
for  a  while  ministered  to  those  who  had 
withdrawn.  In  1726  Anderson  resigned 
and  Ebenezer  Pemberton — a  man  "of  po- 
lite breeding,"  pure  morals  and  warm  de- 
votion succeeded  to  the  pastorate  and  healed 
the  divisions.  His  ministry,  lasting  for 
thirty  years,  was  one  of  great  fruitfulness. 

A  number  of  very  able  men  at  this  time 
came  to  leadership  in  the  church.  Jona- 
than Dickinson,  a  graduate  of  Yale  College 
united  with  the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia 
in  1717.  He  had  previously  for  a  number 
of  years  labored  at  Elizabethtown  and  in  the 


Opening  of  a  New  Century     55 

regions  round  about.  In  many  respects  he 
was  the  leading  spirit  of  the  times  and  had 
more  share  than  any  other  man  in  shaping 
the  American  Presbyterian  Church.  By 
endowments  and  acquirements  he  was 
fitted  for  leadership.  A  well  disciplined 
mind,  splendid  poise  of  judgment,  firmness, 
tempered  with  moderation  and  consider- 
ation, and  a  lofty  and  single  Christian  pur- 
pose, combined  to  fit  him  for  the  times  into 
which  he  had  come.  The  heterogeneous 
elements  of  Presbyterian  life  in  colonial 
days  needed  a  masterly  organizing  spirit. 
Dickinson's  was  that  spirit  and  his  name 
and  influence  are  interwoven  with  all  the 
subsequent  history  of  the  church. 

The  most  commanding  family  in  that 
early  history  is  that  of  the  Tennents.  Will- 
iam Tennent  was  an  Irishman,  educated  in 
Scotland  and  an  ordained  minister  of  the 
Church  of  Ireland.  He  came  to  America  as 
a  dissenter  and  after  giving  reasons  for  dis- 
sent from  Episcopacy  he  was  received  by 


56  The  Presbyterians 

the  Synod  of  Philadelphia  in  1718.  He  be- 
gan his  ministry  in  East  Chester,  New 
York;  two  years  later  he  moved  to  Ne- 
shaminy,  Pa.,  where,  founding  the  Log 
College,  he  became  the  father  of  Presby- 
terian education.  The  little  college  soon 
became  in  fact  a  theological  seminary. 
From  it  went  forth  numbers  of  young  men 
sound  in  faith  and  burning  with  the  mis- 
sionary zeal  they  had  caught  from  their  great 
teacher.  The  Log  College  has  become 
Princeton  University  and  the  spirit  of  Chris- 
tian education  born  within  those  lowly 
walls  reappears  and  flourishes  in  hundreds 
of  Christian  schools  all  over  the  country. 
Tennent's  sons,  John,  William,  Gilbert  and 
Charles,  represented  the  revival  element  of 
the  Colonial  Church.  Full  of  a  zeal  for  souls 
which  was  inspired, — or  at  least  increased 
— by  the  wonderful  preaching  and  personal 
influence  of  Whitefield,  they  went  with 
fiery  steps  on  evangelistic  tours  through  New 
Jersey,    Pennsylvania     and    Virginia,    and 


Opening  of  a  New  Century     57 

everywhere  aroused  churches  from  the 
formalism  into  which  they  were  sinking. 
Their  methods  drew  toward  them  first  the 
suspicions  and  afterward  the  protests  of 
their  conservative  brethren.  Antagonisms 
developed  which  later  culminated  in  the 
division  of  1741.  Other  names,  worthy  to 
be  mentioned  as  important  factors  in  church 
life  and  work  at  this  time,  are  Moses  Dick- 
inson, a  brother  of  Jonathan,  Joseph  Lamb, 
a  graduate  of  Yale  College,  John  Orme  and 
Robert  Laing  from  England,  Thomas  Evans 
from  Wales,  and  Thomas  Craighead  whom 
Cotton  Mather  designated  as  "a  man  of 
singular  piety,  meekness,  humility  and  in- 
dustry in  the  work  of  God." 

During  this  period  (1717  to  1729)  the 
Synod  increased  from  fifteen  to  nearly 
thirty  members.  It  was  largely  by  immi- 
gration from  Ireland.  The  Irish  of  Ulster, 
oppressed  by  the  Established  Church,  turned 
to  America  as  the  land  of  freedom  to 
worship  God.     Some  of  these  immigrants 


58  The  Presbyterians 

went  into  New  England  and  gave  a  Pres- 
byterian stamp  to  Massachusetts  and  Con- 
necticut which  can  still  be  read  in  their 
history.  But  most  of  them  went  into  the 
middle  colonies.  Pennsylvania  specially 
had  a  reputation  for  toleration  and  thither 
were  directed  the  footsteps  of  many  Irish- 
men fleeing  the  persecution  of  their  Island. 
These  newcomers,  both  in  Pennsylvania 
and  Virginia,  pressed  out  to  the  frontier  and 
among  the  Alleghany  Mountains  formed 
an  American  Ulster  larger  and  richer  than 
that  they  had  abandoned. 

Allusion  has  been  made  to  the  missionary 
temper  of  early  Presbyterianism.  It  took 
an  organized  form  at  this  time.  The 
growth  of  the  colonies  and  so  the  need  of 
more  churches  rested  as  a  constant  burden 
on  the  Presbyterian  pioneers.  Their  ap- 
peals to  the  mother  country  were  frequent 
and  urgent.  James  Anderson  was  specially 
active  in  seeking  such  help.  As  early  as 
1716  he  wrote  to  the  Synod  of   Glasgow 


Opening  of  a  New  Century     59 

pleading  for  one  Sabbath  collection  an- 
nually for  missionary  uses  in  the  new 
world.  He  wrote  again  and  again  insisting 
that  the  moral  and  spiritual  conditions  in 
the  colonies  were  such  as  to  threaten  the 
direst  evils  unless  the  gospel  could  do  its 
work  among  them.  At  last  his  voice  was 
heeded.  At  the  meeting  of  Synod  in  1717 
a  "  Fund  for  Pious  Uses  "  was  founded  and 
was  thence  regularly  replenished  by  gen- 
erous gifts  from  Scotland.  In  17 19  the 
Synod  appointed  a  committee  to  "  consider 
the  fund,"  and  their  sense  of  the  impor- 
tance of  doing  something  for  Presbyterian- 
ism  in  the  Metropolis  is  evidenced  by  the 
fact  that  they  recommended  that  "a  tenth 
part  of  the  neat  produce  of  the  Glasgow 
collection  be  given  to  the  Presbyterian  con- 
gregation of  New  York  toward  the  support 
of  the  gospel  among  them." 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE   DIVISION   OF    1 74 1 

A  NEW  chapter  in  Presbyterian  history 
opens  with  the  year  1729.  Up  to  this  time 
no  theological  tests  had  ever  been  required. 
Theological  questions  had  been  subordi- 
nated to  the  strenuous  struggle  for  exist- 
ence. The  ministers,  whether  they  came 
from  New  England  or  the  old  world,  were 
sound  in  the  faith  but  they  were  not 
troubled  by  any  necessity  for  avouching 
their  orthodoxy.  It  was  accepted.  It  has 
sometimes  been  surmised  that  the  lost 
pages  of  the  first  meeting  of  the  Presbytery 
of  Philadelphia  contained  some  statement 
of  doctrine  or  form  of  subscription.  There 
is  nothing,  however,  on  which  to  base  this 
opinion.  Indeed  it  was  not  till  1698  that 
anything  was  known  of  subscription  in  the 

Irish  Church  and  Makemie  had  then  been 
60 


The  Division  of  1741  61 

for  several  years  away  from  Ireland.  At 
that  time,  and  for  many  years  thereafter, 
subscription  to  the  Confession  of  Faith  was 
not  so  much  a  test  of  orthodoxy  in  the 
Church  as  a  guarantee  to  the  government 
that  those  who  claimed  its  toleration  were 
sound  in  the  faith  and  fit  to  be  tolerated. 
In  1705,  the  very  year  of  the  organization 
of  the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia,  the  Irish 
Synod,  to  vindicate  its  character  to  the  gov- 
ernment, reenacted  a  law  requiring  that  all 
candidates  for  ordination  should  subscribe 
to  the  Westminster  standards.  This  worked 
well  till  1714  when  a  demand  arose  among 
some  for  a  form  of  doctrine  more  simple 
and  concise  than  the  Confession  of  Faith. 
It  was  a  demand  for  a  short  creed  from 
people  who  accepted  the  confession  but 
desired  it  put  in  plainer  language.  The 
Synod,  however,  adhered  to  the  confession 
while  allowing  a  brief  substituted  statement 
wherever  desired  by  the  state. 
But  troubles  were  coming  upon  the  Irish 


62  The  Presbyterians 

church.  In  a  society  called  "the  Belfast 
Society,"  and  organized  by  Presbyterian 
ministers  for  mutual  improvement,  senti- 
ments so  radical,  and  so  manifestly  at  vari- 
ance with  the  doctrines  of  the  church  as  to 
create  alarm,  were  freely  expressed.  This 
defection  from  the  faith  was  aggravated  by 
reports  of  similar  trouble  on  the  continent 
as  well  as  in  England.  Arian  and  Unitarian 
sentiments  were  being  openly  avowed. 
The  Synod  took  the  alarm.  An  effort  to 
preserve  unity  by  compromise  intensified 
the  difficulty  by  dividing  the  ranks  of  the 
orthodox.  An  effort  for  harmony  by  de- 
claring that  the  non-subscribers  be  ''per- 
mitted to  subscribe  the  confession,"  was 
by  them  rejected  and  when  they  proposed 
what  would  be  agreeable  to  them,  it  was  so 
remote  from  what  the  Irish  church  had  ever 
required,  that  the  subscribers,  who  were  in 
a  clear  majority,  divided  the  church  by  de- 
claring that  the  attitude  of  the  minority  put 
it  out  of  their  power  to  maintain  ministerial 


The  Division  of  1741  63 

communion  with  them  in  church  judicato- 
ries as  formerly,  "  consistent  with  the  dis- 
charge of  our  ministerial  office  and  the 
peace  of  our  own  consciences." 

About  this  time  the  immigration  to  the 
colonies  from  Ireland  became  large.  The 
consequences  were  feared  by  the  church  in 
this  country.  Many  of  those  displeased 
with  the  action  of  Synod  would  doubtless 
come  over.  Besides,  the  feeble  churches 
here  needed  the  sympathy  and  help  of  their 
brethren  on  the  other  side.  Their  sound- 
ness must  be  above  suspicion.  Hence  the 
need  in  the  judgment  of  many  of  a  clear 
declaration.  It  is  thought  that  the  Presby- 
tery of  New  Castle  took  the  lead  in  this 
movement  for  subscription.  This  is  likely 
for  the  leading  spirit  of  that  Presbytery 
(the  Rev.  Thomas  Craighead)  was  the 
brother  of  the  Rev.  Robert  Craighead,  the 
moderator  of  the  Irish  Synod  and  the  man 
who  headed  the  Irish  movement  for  adher- 
ence to  historic  standards. 


64  The  Presbyterians 

An  effort  looking  to  the  adoption  of 
standards  was  first  made  in  Synod  in  1727. 
But  it  was  so  strenuously  opposed  by  New 
England  men  and  others  that  the  overture 
was  laid  on  the  table.  It  remained  there 
till  the  following  year  when  it  was  again 
considered  and  again  postponed  as  too  im- 
portant a  measure  to  be  hastily  enacted. 
In  1729  it  was  referred  to  a  committee  con- 
sisting of  the  wisest  men  in  the  body.  Dick- 
inson, Andrews  and  Pierson  represented 
those  who  feared  the  measure  as  hostile  to 
freedom;  while  Thomson,  Craighead  and 
Anderson  stood  for  those  who  felt  that  the 
safety  of  the  church  required  that  the  in- 
trants to  the  ministry  should  declare  their 
doctrine  in  no  uncertain  terms.  As  is  usual 
in  such  discussions  neither  party  secured  all 
it  desired.  This  doubtless  was  well.  The 
New  England  element  was  too  much  afraid 
of  legislation.  The  other  side  would  have 
overlegislated.  So  a  compromise  resulted 
which  has  been  the  banner  under  which  the 


The  Division  of  1741  65 

Presbyterian  Church  in  this  country  has 
marched  to  its  best  victories.  This  docu- 
ment is  so  important  that  we  give  it  in  full. 

Adopting  Act. 

"Although  the  Synod  do  not  claim  or 
pretend  to  any  authority  of  imposing  our 
faith  upon  other  men's  consciences,  but  do 
profess  our  just  dissatisfaction  with,  and 
abhorrence  of,  such  impositions,  and  do 
utterly  disclaim  all  legislative  power  and 
authority  in  the  church,  being  willing  to 
receive  one  another  as  Christ  has  received 
us  to  the  glory  of  God,  and  admit  to  fel- 
lowship in  sacred  ordinances  all  such  as  we 
have  ground  to  believe  Christ  will  at  last 
admit  to  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven,  yet  we 
are  undoubtedly  obliged  to  take  care  that 
the  faith  once  delivered  to  the  saints  be 
kept  pure  and  uncorrupt  among  us  and  so 
handed  down  to  our  posterity.  And  do, 
therefore,  agree  that  all  the  ministers  of  this 
Synod  or  that  shall  hereafter  be  admitted 


66  The  Presbyterians 

into  this  Synod,  shall  declare  their  agree- 
ment in,  and  approbation  of,  the  Confession 
of  Faith,  with  the  Larger  and  Shorter  Cate- 
chisms of  the  Assembly  of  Divines  at  West- 
minster, as  being  in  all  the  essential  and 
necessary  articles  good  forms  of  sound 
words  and  systems  of  Christian  doctrine, 
and  do  also  adopt  the  said  confession  and 
catechisms  as  the  confession  of  our  faith. 
And  we  do  also  agree  that  all  the  Presby- 
teries within  our  bounds  shall  always  take 
care  not  to  admit  any  candidate  of  the  min- 
istry into  the  exercise  of  the  sacred  func- 
tions, but  what  declares  his  agreement  in 
opinion  with  all  the  essential  and  necessary 
articles  of  said  confession,  either  by  sub- 
scribing the  said  Confession  of  Faith  and 
catechism,  or  by  a  verbal  declaration  of 
their  assent  thereto,  as  such  minister  or 
candidate  shall  think  best.  And  in  case 
any  minister  of  this  Synod,  or  any  candidate 
for  the  ministry,  shall  have  any  scruple 
with  respect  to  any  article  or  articles  of  said 


The  Division  of  1741  67 

confession  or  catechisms,  he  shall,  at  the 
time  of  his  making  said  declaration,  declare 
his  sentiments  to  the  Presbytery  or  Synod 
who  shall,  notwithstanding,  admit  him  to 
the  exercise  of  the  ministry  within  our 
bounds,  and  to  ministerial  communion,  if 
the  Synod  or  Presbytery  shall  judge  his 
scruple  or  mistake  to  be  only  about  articles 
not  essential  and  necessary  in  doctrine, 
worship,  or  government.  But  if  the  Synod 
or  Presbytery  shall  judge  such  ministers  or 
candidates  erroneous  in  essential  and  neces- 
sary articles  of  faith,  the  Synod  or  Presby- 
tery shall  declare  them  uncapable  of  com- 
munion with  them.  And  the  Synod  do 
solemnly  agree  that  none  of  us  will  traduce 
or  use  any  opprobrious  terms  of  those  that 
diflfer  from  us  in  these  extra-essential  and 
not-necessary  points  of  doctrine,  but  treat 
them  with  the  same  friendship,  kindness, 
and  brotherly  love,  as  if  they  had  not  dif- 
fered from  us  in  such  sentiments." 
For  several  years  following  the  adoption 


68  The   Presbyterians 

of  the  Act  of  1729  the  Church  had  marked 
prosperity.  In  a  decade  nearly  forty  names 
were  added  to  the  roll  of  ministers.  The 
churches  grew  in  numbers  and  strength. 
The  missionary  spirit  was  strong  and  active. 
New  settlements  were  supplied  with  the 
gospel,  new  regions  were  explored. 

But  events  soon  began  to  shape  toward 
the  ecclesiastical  troubles  which  in  1741 
divided  the  Synod.  The  discussions  raged 
not  wholly  around  doctrinal  questions  but 
around  those  of  vital  religion.  The  men 
who  figured  most  conspicuously  were  the 
Tennents.  William  Tennent  by  sheer  force 
of  character  and  conviction  early  became  a 
leader  in  the  young  church.  Devoted  at 
once  to  spiritual  religion  and  to  education 
he  established  the  Log  College  about  1726. 
It  soon  became  a  fountain  of  blessing  to  the 
regions  around.  A  theological  seminary,  it 
trained  candidates  for  the  ministry  and  so 
impressed  them  with  the  spirit  of  its 
founder  that  they  went  abroad  burning  and 


The  Division  of  1741  69 

shining  lights  in  the  darkness.  William 
Tennent's  sons,  all  ministers,  were  scarce 
inferior  to  their  father  in  evangelistic  fervor. 
Gilbert  especially,  when  yet  a  young  man, 
sprang  to  leadership.  As  a  preacher  he  was 
bold,  intense  and  spiritual;  as  a  leader  in 
the  Church  he  had  no  superior;  not  always 
wise  in  methods — sometimes  arrogant  in 
manner — stern  as  an  old  prophet — he  had 
the  zeal  and  consecration  of  an  apostle. 

It  is  likely  that  at  this  time  the  Church 
had  lapsed  far  into  formalism.  There  was 
no  lack  of  vigor  and  aggression  in  the  life 
of  the  Church,  but  it  lacked  the  spiritual 
vitality  on  which  alone  a  Church  can  thrive. 
The  Tennents  saw  and  deplored  this  condi- 
tion. They  did  more.  They  resisted  it. 
Everywhere  with  uncompromising  preach' 
ing  and  in  a  spirit  like  that  of  Whitefield, 
whose  tones  were  beginning  to  be  heard 
among  the  colonies,  the  Tennents  sum- 
moned the  Church  to  a  deeper  religious  life. 
In     1734    Gilbert    Tennent    overtured    the 


70  The  Presbyterians 

Synod  to  a  greater  care  in  the  examination 
of  candidates  for  the  ministry,  not  along 
doctrinal  lines  but  along  those  of  personal 
acquaintance  with  God.  The  overture — 
tender  and  searching — was  adopted  by  the 
Synod.  But  a  few  years  later  he  was  so 
dissatisfied  with  the  views  of  a  candidate 
for  the  ministry  and  the  action  of  Synod 
that  in  exasperation  he  attacked  the  ortho- 
doxy of  that  body  and  charged  it  with  in- 
difference to  the  interests  of  vital  godliness. 
He  was  further  incensed  by  action  which 
seemed  to  discredit  his  father's  college  in 
that  it  required  that  candidates  for  the  min- 
istry should  be  examined  not  only  by  Pres- 
bytery but  by  the  Synod  as  well. 

The  aggressive  spirit  of  the  Tennents, 
even  though  they  were  aggressive  in  the 
interests  of  godliness,  was  sure  to  waken 
opposition.  This  was  headed  by  a  brother 
Irishman,  Robert  Cross.  He  had  preached 
for  awhile  at  Jamaica,  L.  I.,  but  went  to 
Philadelphia  as  the  colleague  of  Andrews  in 


The  Division  of  1741  71 

the  First  Church  in  1737.  He  had  decided 
opinions  about  the  revival  matters  which 
under  the  influence  of  Whitefield  and  the 
Tennents  were  becoming  prominent  and 
potent.  He  openly  antagonized  the  great 
English  evangelist;  who  indeed  retorted  by 
declaring  that  Cross  had  preached  his  con- 
gregation away. 

A  battle  was  thus  joined  between  those 
who  had  adhered  rigidly  to  ecclesiastical 
order  and  those  who  claimed  freedom  from 
such  restraints.  On  the  side  of  the  Ten- 
nents were  Samuel  Blair,  an  Irish  graduate 
of  the  Log  College,  a  man  of  learning  and 
piety  and  pastor  of  the  church  at  Faggs 
Manor,  Pa.,  and  Alexander  Craighead  of  Up- 
per Octorara,  Pa. — a  revivalist  of  great 
power.  These  three  conducted  evangelistic 
campaigns  throughout  all  that  region  in  en- 
tire disregard  of  the  rule  of  Synod  that  no 
minister  should  preach  within  the  bounds  of 
any  Presbytery  without  license  of  the 
Synod  or  its  commission. 


72  The  Presbyterians 

With  Robert  Cross,  in  resistance  of  what 
he  regarded  as  irregular  methods,  sided 
John  Thomson,  the  author  of  the  overture 
which  resulted  in  the  Adopting  Act;  Fran- 
cis Alison  the  finest  scholar  in  the  Old  Side 
ranks;  Cathcart  of  Brandy  wine;  Boyd  of 
Octorara  and  others. 

Although  before  the  division  the  lines 
came  to  be  drawn  close  about  the  question 
of  a  verbal  or  a  freer  subscription,  this  ques- 
tion was  not  at  the  bottom  of  the  causes 
which  led  to  the  division.  Both  parties  ac- 
cepted the  Westminster  standards — both 
were  true  to  the  Adopting  Act.  It  was  rather 
a  question  between  a  formalism  which  main- 
tained the  letter  of  ecclesiastical  law  in  the 
interest  of  the  demands  of  orthodoxy,  and 
a  liberalism  which  demanded  freedom  from 
the  letter  to  subserve  what  it  regarded  as 
the  requirement  of  vital  religion. 

There  was  a  middle  party — Dickinson  of 
Elizabethtown,  N.  J.,  Pemberton  of  New 
York,  Pierson  of  Woodbridge,  N.  J.,  Gil- 


The  Division  of  1741  73 

lespie  and  Hutchinson  of  New  Castle,  Pa., 
and  others — friends  of  the  Tennents  who 
shared  their  revival  spirit.  But  they  were 
strenuous  in  their  insistence  on  ecclesiastical 
order.  Had  they  all  been  present  at  the 
critical  time  and  acted  together  they  could 
doubtless  have  harmonized  the  conflicting 
elements — at  least  to  the  extent  of  prevent- 
ing a  rupture. 

Meantime  the  immigration  increased. 
Conservative  members  of  Synod  feared 
the  increasing  influence  of  men  coming 
among  them  who  had  become  tainted  with 
the  radicalism  of  the  liberal  party  in  Ireland. 
Some  new  guards  must  be  stationed  at  the 
entrance  to  the  ministry.  The  terms  of  the 
Adopting  Act  were  not  sufficiently  explicit; 
— "essential  and  necessary  articles "  was  a 
phrase  which  left  every  man  free  to  decide 
for  himself  what  was  essential  and  neces- 
sary. Hence  arose  a  demand  for  stricter 
terms;  even  to  the  extreme  of  requiring  an 
acceptance  of  the  verbal  theory  of  subscrip- 


74  The  Presbyterians 

tion.  Thus:  In  1730  the  New  Castle  Pres- 
bytery required  verbal  subscription  to  the 
standards  and  two  years  later  the  Presby- 
tery of  Donegal,  the  daughter  of  New 
Castle,  followed  its  example.  In  both  cases 
the  action  was  in  violation  of  the  terms  of 
the  Adopting  Act.  The  new  side  justly 
enough  contended  that  such  subscription 
would  in  effect  annul  the  Adopting  Act  and 
thus  destroy  instead  of  cementing  the  bonds 
of  union. 

So  the  breach  grew  wider.  The  Synod 
took  decisive  action  to  protect  the  purity 
and  orthodoxy  of  ministers  and  churches. 
An  overture  was  adopted  providing  that,  in 
view  of  the  dangers  of  an  incursion  of  min- 
isters from  Ireland  who  might  not  be  sound 
in  the  faith,  no  minister  should  be  received 
from  abroad  till  he  had  given  an  opportu- 
nity to  know  his  character  by  having 
preached  six  months  within  the  Synod's 
bounds  and  that  no  student  should  be  re- 
ceived under  care  of  the  Presbytery  till  he 


The  Division  of  1741  75" 

had  given  opportunity  to  know  his  parts 
and  his  behavior. 

In  1738  another  step  aggravating  to  the 
liberal  party  was  taken  by  the  Presbytery  of 
Lewes,  urging  the  appointment  of  a  com- 
mittee of  Synod  to  examine  candidates  and 
give  them  a  certificate.  The  New  Bruns- 
wick Presbytery,  in  full  sympathy  with  the 
views  of  the  Tennents,  regarded  the  action 
with  special  disfavor.  It  was  a  reflection 
on  the  Log  College.  That  such  a  young 
and  local  institution  should  not  be  highly 
esteemed  by  graduates  of  European  uni- 
versities was  not  remarkable,  but  with  other 
actions  of  Synod  and  Presbyteries  it  put  one 
more  strain  on  bonds  which  were  already 
tense  almost  to  breaking.  In  resistance  of 
the  Synod's  rule  the  Presbytery  of  New 
Brunswick  licensed  John  Rowland  and  sent 
him  to  a  vacancy  in  the  Presbytery  of  Phila- 
delphia. The  Synod  condemned  this  high 
handed  action  of  New  Brunswick.  The 
same  year  the  Synod  still  further  offended 


76  The  Presbyterians 

the  Tennents  and  their  friends  by  appointing 
a  committee  to  take  steps  toward  the  erec- 
tion of  a  seminary  of  learning.  The  com- 
mittee consisted  of  representative  men, — 
Dickinson  and  Pemberton  of  New  England; 
Anderson,  a  Scotchman  and  Cross  an  Irish- 
man. The  time  had  undoubtedly  come 
when  such  a  step  was  necessary  but  the 
utter  ignoring  of  the  little  college  was  not 
calculated  to  promote  peace. 

The  presence  in  the  country  of  White- 
field  in  1740  was  a  great  blessing  to  vital 
religion  but  it  incidentally  hastened  the  di- 
vision of  the  Synod.  Wherever  the  great 
preacher  went  a  fire  of  enthusiasm  was 
kindled.  In  country  places  thousands  from 
all  the  region  round  about  hung  on  his 
burning  words.  In  Philadelphia  ten  thou- 
sand people  heard  his  farewell  sermon. 
Congregations  were  divided.  To  some  his 
was  as  the  voice  of  an  apostle  calling  the 
church  from  deadness  to  life.  To  others 
his  ministry  was  a  disturbing  element.     He 


The  Division  of  1741  77 

rode  roughly  over  all  synodical  rules,  claim- 
ing the  right  to  preach  anywhere,  at  any 
time,  without  regard  to  church  order. 

The  Presbyteries  of  New  York  and  New 
Brunswick  had  regarded  his  course  with 
approval;  thus  arousing  afresh  the  suspi- 
cions of  the  Old  Side  who  saw  in  these 
signs  an  evidence  that  the  Church  was 
drifting  from  her  moorings.  When  the 
Synod  met  in  1740  the  times  were  turbu- 
lent. The  first  question  to  the  front  was 
that  which  Whitefield's  itinerations  had 
invited;  should  ministers  be  allowed  to 
preach  within  the  bounds  of  Presbyteries 
without  permission  ?  After  a  sharp  debate 
the  Synod  was  obliged  to  reconsider  its 
previous  action.  The  popular  feeling  in 
favor  of  Whitefield  and  the  Tennents  was 
so  abundant  and  manifest  that  an  attempt 
to  keep  the  Presbyteries  to  strict  adherence 
to  the  Synod's  rule  was  found  impossible. 
Intinerant  preaching  was  therefore  sanc- 
tioned and  the  Synod  contented  itself  with 


78  The  Presbyterians 

warning  the  churches  against  the  dangers 
of  **  divisions  in  the  congregations." 

But  divisions  were  coming,  not  in  the 
congregations  only  but  in  the  Synod  itself. 
Although  the  Synod  adopted  a  paper  sol- 
emnly admonishing  ministers  to  approve 
themselves  to  God  in  all  their  service  and  to 
consider  the  weight  of  charges  which  had 
been  made  against  them,  scarcely  had  the 
body  adjourned  when  divisions  and  aliena- 
tions were  manifest  on  every  hand.  On 
both  sides  a  censorious  spirit  reigned.  The 
Old  Side  attacked  the  New  Side  as  lawless 
and  defiant.  The  New  Side  retorted  charg- 
ing a  lack  of  true  religion  on  their  brethren. 
When  the  Synod  of  1741  met  it  became 
promptly  evident  that  only  the  wisest  and 
most  conciliatory  policy  could  prevent  a 
rupture.  But  mediators  were  not  found. 
The  Presbytery  of  New  York,  which  had 
somewhat  held  aloof  from  the  struggle, 
was  absent  to  a  man.  So  the  Synod  con- 
vened in  a  state  of  mind  ready  for  extreme 


The  Division  of  1741  79 

measures.  They  came  quickly  enough. 
The  Old  Side  brought  in  a  protest  against 
those  sitting  in  Synod  who  had  not  adopted 
the  standards  in  an  ipsissima  verba  sub- 
scription. Certain  Presbyteries  had  so 
adopted  them  and  the  demand  was  now 
made  that  this  literal  subscription  should  be 
erected  into  a  Synodical  rule.  They  further 
charged  upon  the  brethren  of  the  New  Side 
many  irregularities  which  made  union  with 
the  obnoxious  brethren  "monstrously 
absurd."  When  the  protest  was  read  a 
scene  of  indescribable  confusion  ensued. 
Some  who  had  not  seen  it  came  forward 
and  signed  it  on  the  spot.  The  New 
Brunswick  men  claimed  the  right  to  be 
heard.  Andrews,  the  moderator,  to  whom 
the  protest  came  as  a  surprise,  left  the 
chair.  The  spectators  in  the  galleries,  sym- 
pathizing with  the  New  Side  demanded 
that  the  protestors  be  expelled.  Amid 
great  confusion  the  roll  was  called.  The 
New  Brunswick  men  were  in  the  minority. 


8o  The  Presbyterians 

They  left  the  Church  followed  by  the  pop- 
ulace. Thus  the  Church  was  divided.  Dr. 
Hodge  says,  *'lt  is  plain  from  this  state- 
ment that  not  even  the  forms  of  an  eccle- 
siastical, much  less  of  a  judicial,  proceeding 
were  observed  at  this  crisis.  There  was  no 
motion,  no  vote,  not  even  a  presiding  officer 
in  the  chair.  It  was  a  disorderly  rupture." 
Passion  ruled  the  hour  with  its  usual  re- 
sults. One  hour  of  a  conciliatory  spirit  on 
both  sides  had  saved  the  friction  and  aliena- 
tion of  years. 


CHAPTER  V 

MISSIONARIES   AND   PATRIOTS 

The  history  of  the  next  few  years  was 
one  of  repeated  efforts  at  compromise.  On 
both  sides  an  earnest  desire  for  reunion  had 
developed.  The  Presbytery  of  New  York 
tried  to  act  as  a  mediator  between  the  Synod 
and  the  excluded  Presbyteries.  Their  sym- 
pathies were  with  the  New  Side  and  while 
they  could  not  approve  some  of  the  high- 
handed actions  of  their  New  Brunswick 
brethren,  they  entered  a  protest  in  the 
Synod  of  1742,  against  the  illegal  manner  in 
which  the  New  Brunswick  brethren  had 
been  excluded.  They  also  protested  against 
the  action  of  that  Synod  in  declining  to 
consider  the  legality  of  the  action  of  the 
previous  year;  and  also  against  the  reflec- 
tions which  Synod  had  cast  on  the  revival 
81 


82  The  Presbyterians 

work  as  carried  on  by  the  evangelists.  No 
attention  was  paid  to  these  representations 
of  the  Presbytery  of  New  York. 

Again  the  following  year  an  effort  was 
made  to  induce  the  Synod  to  reconsider  its 
action.  The  overture  was  again  rejected. 
Two  years  passed  without  further  effort  to- 
ward peace.  Then  the  New  York  Presby- 
tery asked  for  a  Committee  of  Conference 
with  a  view  to  harmonizing  differences. 
The  Conference  was  held  but  the  Synod  in 
substance  reaffirmed  all  previous  action. 
Meantime  the  spread  of  the  revival,  the 
preaching  all  the  way  from  Virginia  to  Bos- 
ton of  evangelists  who  ignored  all  Synod- 
ical  rules,  tended  to  deepen  the  lines  which 
had  already  been  drawn.  There  was  no 
longer  any  talk  of  reunion  and  in  Septem- 
ber 1745,  the  Synod  of  New  York  was 
formally  erected — the  New  Brunswick  party 
and  the  Presbyteries  of  New  York  and  of 
New  Castle  meeting  at  Elizabethtown  for 
that  purpose.     In   its   personnel   it   was  a 


Missionaries  and  Patriots        83 

strong  body  from  the  start.  There  were 
Dickinson,  Pemberton,  Pierson  and  Burr 
from  New  York;  from  New  Brunswick 
were  the  Tennents,  Robert  Treat,  Charles 
Beatty  and  others  whose  evangelistic  labors 
had  abounded  far  and  near,  while  from 
New  Castle,  besides  Charles  Tennent  were 
Samuel  Finley — later  a  president  of  Prince- 
ton—and Samuel  and  John  Blair,  famous  in 
the  subsequent  history  of  the  Church. 

From  the  first  the  New  Side  gained  on 
the  Old  Side  in  numbers  and  strength. 
This  is  easily  accounted  for.  The  Old  Side 
had  depended  for  growth  largely  on  immi- 
gration from  the  old  world.  That  had  de- 
cidedly fallen  off.  Those  who  came  from 
Scotland  mostly  favored  the  New  Side. 
More  ministers  came  from  New  England. 
They  as  a  rule  adhered  to  the  views  of  the 
New  York  brethren.  Princeton  also  was 
beginning  to  send  out  graduates  who  were 
in  sympathy  with  the  New  Brunswick  men. 
The  trend  of  the  accessions  to  both  Synods 


84  The  Presbyterians 

from  1745  to  the  reunion  in  1738  is  indi- 
cated by  the  statement  that  twelve  were 
from  Scotland,  nine  from  Ireland,  three 
from  England,  nine  from  New  York  and 
the  Middle  States,  while  nearly  thirty  were 
from  New  England. 

With  the  incoming  of  new  elements  to 
both  Synods  there  was  developed  an  in- 
creasing desire  for  a  union  of  the  two. 
That  of  New  York  from  1745  to  1749  made 
repeated  proposals  which,  jealously  re- 
garded at  first,  became  more  and  more  ap- 
pealing to  the  men  on  the  other  side.  Of 
course  the  protest  by  which  New  Bruns- 
wick had  been  cut  off  remained  as  the  great 
obstacle.  The  Philadelphia  Synod  refused 
to  rescind  it.  Finally,  however,  a  way 
out  was  discovered  without  repudiat- 
ing its  own  action.  A  declaration  was 
made  that  the  protest  was  the  action  of  in- 
dividuals and  not  of  the  organic  body  and 
so  need  not  be  rescinded. 

A  more  formidable  obstacle  was  in  the 


Missionaries  and  Patriots        85 

debate  concerning  subscription.  The  Old 
Side  had  demanded  Hteral  subscription. 
The  New  Side  adhered  to  the  language  of 
the  Adopting  Act  and  insisted  only  on  sub- 
scription to  essentials.  To  them  the  atti- 
tude of  the  Old  Side  seemed  like  lifting  the 
Confession  to  a  level  with  the  Word  of  God 
and  to  this  they  would  not  for  a  moment 
consent. 

In  1754-5  the  two  Synods  were  in  such 
friendly  conference  that  the  way  for  union 
seemed  to  be  prepared  and  in  1757  it  was 
agreed  that  the  two  Synods  should  the  fol- 
lowing year  meet  in  the  same  place.  The 
Synod  of  New  York  therefore  met  in  Phila- 
delphia in  1758  where  the  other  Synod  was 
already  in  session.  The  membership  of 
the  Philadelphia  Synod  had  been  reduced  to 
twenty-two.  The  New  York  Synod  num- 
bered seventy.  The  plan  of  union  which  a 
commission  from  the  two  bodies  had  pre- 
viously matured  was  unanimously  adopted. 
It    affirmed    again    the    standards    of    the 


86  The  Presbyterians 

Church  and  urged  ministers  to  preach  and 
teach  according  to  the  form  of  sound  words 
and  to  avoid  and  oppose  all  errors;  it  dis- 
avowed as  a  Synodical  act  the  Protest  of 
1 74 1  which  had  caused  the  division;  it  pro- 
tected the  rights  of  Presbyteries  by  requir- 
ing Presbyterial  authority  for  those  who 
would  labor  in  its  bounds;  it  favored  re- 
vivals of  religion,  while  giving  freedom  for 
differences  of  opinion  as  to  particular  facts, 
and  finally  it  was  agreed  "that  all  former 
differences  and  disputes  are  laid  aside  and 
buried."  Thus  a  division  of  sixteen  years' 
duration  was  happily  ended  by  concessions 
without  compromise,  by  a  reaffirming  of 
Presbyterian  doctrine  and  polity  which 
made  the  Church  stronger  than  ever.  The 
new  body  was  organized  as  the  Synod  of 
New  York  and  Philadelphia. 

From  this  union  dates  another  period  of 
prosperity.  As  nearly  as  can  be  ascertained 
there  were  at  this  time  ninety-eight  minis- 
ters, about  200  churches,  with  10,000  mem- 


Missionaries  and  Patriots        87 

bers.  These  numbers  rapidly  increased. 
New  Presbyteries  were  organized.  New 
regions  were  explored.  The  tide  of  emi- 
gration had  already  crossed  the  Blue  Ridge, 
where  in  poverty  and  danger  Presbyterian 
communities  were  settled  and  were  free 
from  the  petty  persecutions  which  the 
Church  of  England  and  the  Government 
inflicted  on  those  along  the  sea-board.  In 
1755  in  Virginia  the  Presbytery  of  Hanover 
was  constituted.  Out  of  its  vast  territory 
were  organized  in  1785  the  Presbytery  of 
Abingdon  and  in  1786  the  Presbytery  of 
Lexington  and  Transylvania.  The  second 
Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  had  been  formed 
in  1762;  Carlisle,  Pa.,  1765;  Lancaster,  Pa., 
1765;  Redstone,  Pa.,  1781.  In  New  York 
churches  organized  as  Congregational  in 
Connecticut  and  others  as  Presbyterian  in 
New  York  were  organized  into  the  Dutchess 
County  Presbytery  in  1766.  In  1770  the 
Presbytery  of  Hanover  had  so  increased  in 
numbers  that  the  churches  belonging  to  it 


88  The  Presbyterians 

in   North    Carolina  were  formed  into  the 
Presbytery  of  Orange. 

The  Church  now  awaked  to  great  mis- 
sionary activity.  The  minutes  of  the  Synod 
every  year  make  record  of  strenuous  en- 
deavors to  advance  the  kingdom  in  the  new 
and  needy  fields.  The  country  to  the  south 
was  rapidly  opening  for  settlement.  The 
stamp  of  an  earnest  and  aggressive  Presby- 
terianism  was  early  put  on  Virginia  by 
Samuel  Davies  and  other  pioneer  preachers. 
And  though  that  state  was  settled  largely 
by  cavaliers  there  were  some  English  Pres- 
byterians among  them  and  some  Huguenot 
settlements  on  the  James  River.  There 
were  also  Huguenot  settlements  in  South 
Carolina  antedating  the  landing  of  the  Pil- 
grims on  Plymouth  Rock.  But  by  the 
middle  of  the  eighteenth  century  both 
North  and  South  Carolina  were  filling  up 
with  a  fine  class  of  people  who  called 
for  missionaries.  The  call  was  heeded  to 
the  limited  extent  of  the  power  of  the  still 


Missionaries  and  Patriots        89 

struggling  Church.  Where  unable  to  fur- 
nish a  permanent  supply  the  Synod  directed 
that  students  and  licentiates  should  labor 
for  a  few  months  in  the  most  destitute 
regions.  And  the  ablest  and  busiest  min- 
isters frequently  left  their  important  charges 
for  months  of  itinerating  up  and  down  the 
wilderness. 

Missionary  work  among  the  Indians  was 
a  feature  of  the  years  following  reunion. 
In  1759  John  Brainard  who  had  been  one  of 
the  earliest  and  most  successful  mission- 
aries to  the  Indians  reentered  the  Indian 
service  and  took  charge  of  the  mission  on 
the  reservation  in  southern  New  Jersey. 
The  Society  in  Scotland  for  the  Propagation 
of  Christian  Knowledge  continued  its  aid. 
In  1763  Mr.  Samuel  Occom,  who  by  help 
of  this  society  had  been  engaged  for  a  few 
years  in  work  among  the  Oneidas,  visited 
Great  Britain  to  secure  assistance  for  the 
enlargement  of  the  Indian  mission  and,  as 
the  first  Indian  preacher  who  had  appeared 


90  The  Presbyterians 

there,  aroused  such  interest  that  a  fund  of 
$50,000  was  raised  for  this  object.  This 
was  an  immense  sum  for  those  times. 

In  1766  Charles  Beatty  and  George  Duf- 
field,  leaders  of  splendid  gifts  and  deep 
consecration,  went  as  missionaries  to  the 
frontier  provinces.  They  pushed  into  the 
Ohio  wilderness  and  visited  the  Indians  on 
the  Muskingum — 130  miles  beyond  Fort 
Pitt.  They  found  the  Indians  ready  to  re- 
ceive the  gospel.  The  Synod  was  so  much 
impressed  by  their  report  that  steps  were 
taken  looking  to  the  establishing  of  perma- 
nent work,  but  by  reason  of  inadequate  re- 
sources the  project  was  necessarily  for  the 
time  being  abandoned. 

In  1768  "the  Synod  taking  under  consid- 
eration the  deplorable  condition  of  the  In- 
dian tribes — the  natives  of  this  land — who 
sit  in  heathenish  darkness  and  are  perishing 
for  lack  of  knowledge  " — appointed  a  com- 
mittee to  prepare  a  plan  for  missions  among 
them.     The  Synod  had  previously  ordered 


Missionaries  and  Patriots        91 

a  missionary  collection  in  all  the  churches. 
This  was  to  secure  laborers  among  the  In- 
dians and  also  to  **  relieve  the  unhappy  lot 
of  many  in  various  parts  of  our  land  who 
are  brought  up  in  ignorance;  who  on  ac- 
count of  their  poverty  and  scattered  habita- 
tions are  unable  without  some  assistance  to 
support  the  gospel  ministry  among  them." 

Thus — a  generation  before  any  organized 
home  mission  work  was  undertaken — the 
missionary  spirit  breathed  in  the  councils 
and  actions  of  the  struggling  Church.  The 
projects  however  were  checked  by  intrigues 
of  the  French,  the  frequent  hostile  attitude 
of  the  Indians,  and  finally  by  the  approach 
of  the  War  of  the  Revolution. 

The  germs  of  the  theological  seminary 
also  appear  as  early  as  1768.  On  August 
17th  of  that  year  the  famous  Dr.  John 
Witherspoon  was  inaugurated  president  of 
the  College  of  New  Jersey.  A  man  of 
great  influence  in  Scotland,  his  coming  to 
America  was  an  immense  gain  not  only  to 


92  The  Presbyterians 

Presbyterianism  of  which  he  became  one 
of  the  most  illustrious  leaders,  but  to  the 
cause  of  the  country  for  whose  liberty  he 
was  a  most  eloquent  advocate.  He  was 
appointed  professor  of  divinity  as  well  as 
president  of  the  college  and  also  gave  in- 
struction in  Hebrew  to  the  young  men 
looking  forward  to  the  ministry.  At  this 
time  many  young  men  were  so  looking  for- 
ward but  were  hindered  from  procuring 
the  necessary  preparatory  education  by  the 
poverty  with  which  most  of  them  had  to 
contend.  The  Synod  therefore  addressed 
itself  to  meet  this  need,  and  in  1771  a 
scheme  was  proposed  "for  supporting 
young  men  of  piety  and  parts  at  learning 
for  the  work  of  the  ministry  so  that  our 
numerous  vacancies  may  be  supplied  with 
preachers  of  the  gospel."  Each  vacant  con- 
gregation was  to  pay  two  pounds  annually 
into  a  common  fund,  and  every  minister 
was  to  pay  one  pound,  and  all  who  were 
willing  were  to  have  opportunity  to  make 


Missionaries  and  Patriots        93 

an  annual  subscription.  Students  who  had 
received  aid  were  to  preach  for  one  year 
after  licensure  in  the  vacancies  within  the 
Presbytery.  This  was  the  beginning  of  the 
Board  of  Education. 

The  results  of  missionary  work  along  the 
frontiers  had  made  evident  the  need  of  re- 
ligious literature.  In  1772  collections  were 
asked  for  this  purpose.  The  books  most 
desired  were,  in  addition  to  the  Bible — 
The  Westminster  Confession  and  Cate- 
chisms, Doddridge's  "Rise  and  Progress," 
Alleine's  ''Alarm,"  Watts'  "Songs  for 
Children,"  and  "A  Compassionate  Address 
to  the  Christian  World."  Committees  were 
appointed  in  New  York  and  Philadelphia  to 
receive  and  disburse  the  fund,  and  each  was 
authorized  to  draw  on  the  treasurer  of  Synod 
for  a  sum  not  to  exceed  twenty  pounds. 
This  was  the  beginning  of  the  Board  of 
Publication. 

In  1774  Ezra  Stiles  and  Samuel  Hopkins 
proposed  to  the  Synod  the  sending  of  two 


94  The  Presbyterians 

natives  to  Africa  to  do  foreign  missionary 
work  on  the  dark  continent.  There  were 
two  negroes  in  the  College  of  New  Jersey 
who  were  preparing  for  such  a  mission,  and 
it  was  hoped  the  young  Synod  might  under- 
take to  send  them.  The  Synod  expressed 
its  approval  of  the  plan  and  its  willingness 
to  concur.  An  appeal  for  cooperation  was 
also  sent  to  the  society  in  Scotland.  The 
consummation  of  this  noble  project  was 
prevented  by  the  outbreak  of  the  war.  But 
the  consideration  of  it  by  American  and 
Scotch  Presbyterians  shows  that  the  cause 
of  foreign  missions  was  already  pressing  on 
the  heart  of  the  Church.  Thus  before  the 
Revolution  the  foundations  of  organized 
home  and  foreign  missions,  of  education 
and  publication  had  been  laid  in  the  coun- 
sels and  purposes  of  the  Church. 

The  war  for  the  freedom  of  the  colonies 
was  now  fast  approaching.  Presbyterians 
took  a  strong  hand  in  the  conflict.  They 
were  the  earliest  to  take  action  looking  to- 


Missionaries  and  Patriots        95 

ward  independence.  In  Virginia  the  Pres- 
byterians had  long  struggled  for  their  rights 
against  the  claims  and  aggressions  of  the 
Church  of  England.  So  they  were  pre- 
pared, ahead  of  all  others,  to  take  definite 
action  for  civil  as  well  as  religious  liberty. 
Thus  the  Scotch-Irish  met  in  council  Jan- 
uary 20th,  1775,  at  Abingdon,  and  addressed 
the  delegates  of  Virginia  in  these  words: 

'*  We  explored  our  uncultivated  wilder- 
ness, bordering  on  many  nations  of  sav- 
ages, and  surrounded  by  mountains  almost 
inaccessible  to  any  but  these  savages;  but 
even  to  these  remote  regions  the  hand  of 
power  hath  pursued  us,  to  strip  us  of  that 
liberty  and  property  with  which  God,  na- 
ture, and  the  rights  of  humanity  have  vested 
us.  We  are  willing  to  contribute  all  in  our 
power,  if  applied  to  constitutionally,  but 
cannot  think  of  submitting  our  liberty  or 
property  to  a  venal  British  Parliament  or  a 
corrupt  ministry.  We  are  deliberately  and 
resolutely   determined    never   to   surrender 


96  The  Presbyterians 

any  of  our  inestimable  privileges  to  any 
power  upon  earth  but  at  the  expense  of 
our  lives.  These  are  our  real  though  un- 
polished sentiments  of  liberty  and  loyalty 
and  in  them  we  are  resolved  to  live  and 
die"  (Bancroft,  in  1.  c.  IV.,  p.  100). 

The  Scotch-Irish  of  Mecklenburg  County, 
N.  C,  in  convention  in  May,  1775,  took  still 
stronger  ground  in  the  famous  Mecklen- 
burg Declaration.  It  was  an  advance  copy 
of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  as  its 
closing  words  plainly  show: 

'•'Resolved,  That  we  do  hereby  declare 
ourselves  a  free  and  independent  people; 
are,  and  of  a  right  ought  to  be,  a  sovereign 
and  self-governing  association,  under  the 
control  of  no  power  other  than  that  of  our 
God  and  the  general  government  of  the  Con- 
gress; to  the  maintenance  of  which  we 
solemnly  pledge  to  each  other  our  mutual 
cooperation  and  our  lives,  our  fortunes  and 
our  most  sacred  honor "  (W.  P.  Breed, 
Presbyterians  and  the  Revolution). 


Missionaries  and  Patriots        97 

Archibald  Alexander,  a  Presbyterian  elder, 
was  the  presiding  officer  of  this  convention 
— Ephraim  Brevard  another  elder  and  a 
graduate  of  Princeton  was  the  secretary. 
Its  membership  was  almost  entirely  Presby- 
terian. Mr.  Bancroft  therefore  said  justly: 
"The  first  voice  publicly  raised  in  America 
to  dissolve  all  connection  with  Great  Britain 
came  not  from  the  Puritans  of  New  Eng- 
land nor  the  Dutch  of  New  York  nor  the 
planters  of  Virginia  but  from  the  Scotch- 
Irish  Presbyterians." 

Referring  to  those  Presbyterians  of  the 
valleys  and  mountains  of  Virginia  and 
North  Carolina,  Washington  declared  that 
if  all  his  plans  became  overturned  and  but  a 
single  standard  was  left  he  would  plant  it 
upon  the  Blue  Ridge,  and  making  that  his 
Thermopylae  would  rally  around  him  the 
patriots  of  the  valley  and  there  lay  the  foun- 
dations of  a  new  republic. 

Indeed  the  Scotch  and  Scotch-Irish  were 
the  very  sinew  of  the  movement  for  Inde- 


98  The  Presbyterians 

pendence.  To  New  Jersey  the  Scotch  gave 
her  war  governor,  William  Livingstone; 
and  to  Virginia,  Patrick  Henry,  who  as 
Jefferson  once  said  to  Webster  "  was  before 
us  all  in  maintaining  the  spirit  of  the  revo- 
lution." They  gave  to  the  army  such  men 
as  Knox,  Sullivan  and  Stark  of  New  Eng- 
land; Clinton  from  New  York;  Gen.  Robert 
Montgomery  who  fell  at  Quebec;  brave 
Anthony  Wayne,  the  hero  of  Stony  Point; 
Col.  John  Eager  Howard  of  Maryland,  who 
saved  the  day  at  the  battle  of  Cowpens; 
and  Col.  William  Campbell,  the  hero  of 
King's  Mountain.  The  Declaration  of  In- 
dependence in  the  state  department  at 
Washington  is  in  the  handwriting  of  a 
Scotchman,  Charles  Thomson,  the  secre- 
tary of  Congress.  It  is  said  to  have  been 
first  printed  by  Thomas  Dunlap,  another 
Scotch-Irishman,  while  a  third  fellow- 
countryman.  Captain  John  Nixon,  was  the 
first  to  read  it  to  the  people.  So  are  justi- 
fied the  words  of  Theodore  Roosevelt: 


Missionaries  and  Patriots        99 

"The  backwoodsmen  were  Americans 
by  birth  and  parentage  and  of  mixed  race; 
but  the  dominant  strain  in  their  blood  was 
that  of  the  Presbyterian  Irish — the  Scotch- 
Irish  as  they  were  often  called.  Full  credit 
has  been  awarded  the  Roundhead  and  the 
Cavalier  for  their  leadership  in  our  history; 
nor  have  we  been  altogether  blind  to  the 
deeds  of  the  Hollander  and  the  Huguenot; 
but  it  is  doubtful  if  we  have  wholly  realized 
the  importance  of  the  part  played  by  that 
stern  and  virile  people,  the  Irish  whose 
preachers  taught  the  creed  of  Knox  and 
Calvin.  These  Irish  representatives  of  the 
Covenanters  were  in  the  west  almost  what 
the  Puritans  were  in  the  northeast,  and 
more  than  the  Cavaliers  were  in  the  south. 
Mingled  with  the  descendants  of  many 
other  races,  they  nevertheless  formed  the 
kernel  of  the  distinctively  and  intensely 
American  stock  who  were  the  pioneers  of 
our  people  in  their  march  westward,  the 
vanguard  of  the  army  of  fighting  settlers 


loo  The  Presbyterians 

who  with  axe  and  rifle  won  their  way  from 
the  Alleghanies  to  the  Rio  Grande  and  the 
Pacific." 

During  the  war  only  two  Presbyterian 
ministers  went  over  to  the  British.  One  of 
these  was  deposed  from  the  ministry — the 
other  was  suspended.  Dr.  IngHs,  the  Tory 
rector  of  Trinity  Church,  wrote  in  1776,  "\ 
do  not  know  one  Presbyterian  minister 
nor  have  I  been  able  after  strict  inquiry  to 
hear  of  any  who  did  not  by  preaching  and 
every  effort  in  their  power  promote  all  the 
efforts  of  the  Continental  Congress,  how- 
ever extravagant."  Nor  were  Presbyterian 
elders  less  active  and  faithful.  From  a 
careful  statement  by  Dr.  Thomas  Smythe 
it  appears  that  General  Morgan,  the  com- 
mander at  Cowpens,  and  General  Pickens 
who  made  the  plan  of  the  battle  were  both 
Presbyterian  elders.  At  King's  Mountain 
Colonel  Campbell,  Col.  James  Williams, 
Colonel  Cleaveland,  Colonel  Shelby,  Col- 
onel  Sevier,   were   all   Presbyterian   elders 


Missionaries  and  Patriots       loi 

and  the  body  of  their  troops  was  Presby- 
terian. 

It  is  not  strange  therefore  that  a  Church 
with  such  a  record  should  have  had  much 
influence  in  shaping  the  national  Constitu- 
tion, even  as  it  was  first  in  recognizing  and 
aiding  the  cause  of  freedom.  The  Conven- 
tion for  the  adoption  of  the  national  consti- 
tution was  in  session  in  Philadelphia  at  the 
time  that  the  first  General  Assembly  met 
there.  Some  members  of  the  Assembly 
were  members  of  the  Convention.  John 
Witherspoon  was  a  leading  and  guiding 
spirit  in  both.  And  while  it  is  as  easy  as 
unwise  to  try  to  trace  an  exact  paral- 
lel between  the  national  and  the  Pres- 
byterian constitutions  we  have  seen  that 
there  is  in  their  respective  series  of  courts 
enough  at  least  to  remind  us  that  they 
sprang  from  similar  conditions  and  were 
formed  by  men  who  had  just  stood  side  by 
side  in  a  great  struggle  for  constitutional 
liberty.     ''The   ecclesiastical   polity  of  the 


102  The  Presbyterians 

Presbyterian  Churches  influenced  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  state  and  the  government 
of  the  American  Presbyterian  Churches 
was  in  no  slight  degree  assimilated  to  the 
civil  government  of  the  country  "  (Briggs' 
American  Presbyterianism,  p.  354). 

How  thoroughly  loyal  to  the  cause  of 
liberty  was  the  Presbyterian  Church  is  evi- 
dent from  the  action  of  the  Synod  of  New 
York  and  Philadelphia  at  the  close  of  the 
war. 

"We  cannot  help  congratulating  you  on 
the  general  and  almost  universal  attachment 
of  the  Presbyterian  body  to  the  cause  of 
liberty  and  the  rights  of  mankind.  This 
has  been  visible  in  their  conduct,  and  has 
been  confessed  by  the  complaints  and  re- 
sentment of  the  common  enemy.  Such  a 
circumstance  ought  not  only  to  afford  us 
satisfaction  on  the  review  as  bringing 
credit  to  the  body  in  general,  but  to  in- 
crease our  gratitude  to  God,  for  the  happy 
issue  of  the  war.     Had  it  been  unsuccess- 


Missionaries  and  Patriots      103 

ful,  we  must  have  drunk  deeply  of  the 
cup  of  suffering.  Our  burnt  and  wasted 
churches,  and  our  plundered  dwellings,  in 
such  places  as  fell  under  the  power  of  our 
adversaries,  are  but  an  earnest  of  what  we 
must  have  suffered  had  they  finally  pre- 
vailed. The  Synod,  therefore,  request  you 
to  render  thanks  to  Almighty  God,  for  all 
his  mercies,  spiritual  and  temporal,  and  in 
a  particular  manner  for  establishing  the 
Independence  of  the  United  States  of 
America." 


CHAPTER  VI 

OVER  THE  MOUNTAINS 

Before  the  Revolutionary  War  Presbyte- 

rianism  had  made  considerable  progress  in 

the  South  and  West.     The  Carolinas  were 

early  settled  by  a  sturdy  Scotch-Irish  and 

Huguenot  stock,  as  stated  in  the  foregoing 

chapter.     As  early  as  1658  a  small  company 

of  emigrants   of   Presbyterian   antecedents 

had    settled    around   Cape   Fear.     Little  is 

known  of  their  history  save  that  they  lived 

in   poverty  and  great  hardships.     In   1729 

Scotch   immigrants  were   attracted   to   the 

same  region.     Soon  after  this  the  interests 

of  vital    religion   in   all   that   region   were 

greatly    strengthened    by    the    visit    and 

preaching  of  Whitefield.     It  was,  however, 

many  years  before  the  scattered  colonies 
104 


Over  the  Mountains  105 

secured  the  stated  means  of  grace.  Not  till 
after  the  middle  of  the  century  did  a  mis- 
sionary come  to  live  among  them.  This 
missionary  was  James  Campbell,  from 
Pennsylvania,  who  preached  for  years  with 
true  pioneer  spirit  to  the  settlements  along 
the  Cape  Fear  River. 

Attention  was  now  called  to  the  spiritual 
destitution  of  the  Carolinas  and  more  mis- 
sionaries were  sent  out  from  Pennsylvania 
and  Virginia.  Hugh  McAden,  a  graduate 
of  Nassau  Hall,  came  in  1755  and  for  ten 
years  evangelized  among  the  scattered 
settlers  from  Virginia  to  South  Carolina. 
He  was  the  means  of  planting  a  number  of 
churches  and  securing  other  ministers.  Al- 
exander Craighead,  a  warm  friend  of 
W^hitefield  and  an  earnest  though  somewhat 
eccentric  preacher  and  a  daring  explorer, 
pushed  on  to  the  western  frontiers  of  Vir- 
ginia. Exposed  to  countless  perils  of  the 
wilderness  and  of  savages  he  courageously 
kept  his  way.     Later  we  find  him  in  west- 


io6  The  Presbyterians 

ern  North  Carolina — the  first  missionary  of 
a  region  so  famous  alike  in  religion  and 
patriotic  movements.  Here  his  ministry 
closed,  but  not  till  he  had  sowed  seeds  of 
truth  which  afterward  in  battles  of  the 
Revolution  bore  the  fruit  of  Christian  pa- 
triotism. Henry  Patillo  is  another  name 
worthy  to  be  starred  in  the  history  of  the 
Carolinas.  For  thirty-six  years  he  preached 
with  apostolic  fervor  and  like  the  great 
apostle  supported  himself  largely  by  the 
labors  of  his  own  hands.  He  became  dis- 
tinguished alike  in  the  councils  of  Church 
and  State.  He  was  a  member  of  the  first 
Provincial  Congress  of  North  Carolina  and 
was  chairman  of  the  Committee  on  ''Na- 
tional Federation."  A  large  and  generous 
nature,  with  boundless  capacity  for  self- 
sacrifice,  originality  of  genius  and  unusual 
intellectual  powers,  his  name  will  ever  be 
associated  with  the  state  to  which  he  gave 
such  long  and  notable  service. 
During  the  latter  half  of  the  century  the 


Over  the  Mountains  107 

immigration  to  the  Carolinas  was  numerous 
and  of  a  good  type.  Again  it  was  largely 
Scotch  and  Irish.  More  missionaries  were 
called  for.  The  Synod  of  New  York  and 
Philadelphia  was  not  unmindful  of  the 
claims  of  the  rapidly  developing  region. 
Many  of  the  best  men  of  the  Synod  visited 
those  states  on  longer  or  shorter  missionary 
tours.  William  Tennent,  Jr.,  Nathan  Her, 
George  Duffield,  Alexander  McWhorterand 
many  others  gathered  congregations  and 
organized  churches.  The  need  of  Presby- 
terial  organization  becoming  apparent,  a 
petition  was  presented  to  the  Presbytery  of 
Hanover  in  Virginia  asking  that  a  Presby- 
tery be  constituted  in  the  Carolinas.  In 
1770  seven  ministers  and  the  churches 
under  their  care  were  set  off  as  the  Presby- 
tery of  Orange  and  comprising  the  states  of 
North  and  South  Carolina. 

Among  the  early  ministers  of  the  new 
Presbytery,  several  Pennsylvanians  are 
worthy  of  special  mention.     The  first  min- 


lo8  The  Presbyterians 

ister  ordained  by  the  Presbytery  was 
Thomas  Reese,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania 
and  a  graduate  of  Princeton.  His  pastorate 
in  South  Carolina  was  eminently  success- 
ful.    He  was  a  distinguished  scholar. 

A  man  more  famous  was  James  Hall 
who  was  licensed  in  1776,  and  who  during 
a  long  ministry  had  much  to  do  with  shap- 
ing the  religious  history  of  the  Carolinas. 
He  was  a  native  of  Carlisle,  Pennsylvania, 
and  of  Scotch-Irish  descent.  He  was  trained 
for  the  ministry  by  Dr.  Witherspoon. 
After  graduation  he  returned  to  North  Caro- 
lina and  gave  himself  with  boundless  en- 
thusiasm to  the  pioneer  work.  From  every 
side  came  calls  for  his  services.  Frequent 
revivals  blessed  his  labors.  For  forty  years 
he  was  a  burning  and  shining  light — a 
power  for  righteousness  through  a  wide 
region  of  country. 

Samuel  Eusebius  McCorkle  was  another 
native  of  the  Quaker  State,  who  during  a 
fruitful  ministry  of  thirty-five  years  found 


Over  the  Mountains  109 

time  to  establish  and  conduct  a  classical 
school.  This  educational  work  was  recog- 
nized as  in  the  new  conditions  an  essential 
part  of  the  pastor's  labors  and  many  paro- 
chial schools  thus  begun  grew  in  later  years 
into  academies  and  colleges. 

Under  the  labors  of  the  men  now  named 
and  many  others  of  similar  devotion  the 
Church  grew  and  extended.  The  Presby- 
tery of  Orange  reached  into  Tennessee. 
With  the  columns  of  emigration  over  the 
mountains  and  down  the  valleys  of  western 
North  Carolina  went  Charles  Cummins, 
Hezekiah  Balch,  Samuel  Houston  and  kin- 
dred spirits  giving  the  stamp  of  Christian 
truth  and  life  to  the  new  communities  rap- 
idly forming  along  the  French  Broad  and 
the  Tennessee  Rivers. 

Speaking  of  the  settlement  of  the  South- 
west, Mr.  Roosevelt  in  the  **  Winning  of 
the  West,"  says: 

"The  way  in  which  the  southern  part  of 
our  western  country-^that  is,  all  the  land 


no  The  Presbyterians 

south  of  the  Ohio,  and  from  thence  on  to 
the  Rio  Grande  and  the  Pacific — was  won 
and  settled,  stands  quite  alone.  .  .  .  The 
Southwest,  including  therein  what  was 
once  called  simply  the  West,  and  afterward 
the  Middle  West,  was  won  by  the  people 
themselves,  acting  as  individuals  or  as 
groups  of  individuals,  who  hewed  out  their 
own  fortunes  in  advance  of  any  govern- 
mental action.  .  .  . 

"All  of  our  territory  lying  beyond  the 
Alleghanies,  north  and  south,  was  first 
won  for  us  by  the  southwesterners,  fight- 
ing for  their  own  land.  The  northern  part 
was  afterward  filled  up  by  the  thrifty, 
vigorous  men  of  the  Northeast,  whose  sons 
became  the  real  rulers  as  well  as  the  pre- 
servers of  the  Union;  but  these  settlements 
of  northerners  were  rendered  possible  only 
by  the  deeds  of  the  nation  as  a  whole. 
They  entered  on  land  that  the  southerners 
had  won,  and  they  were  kept  there  by  the 
strong    arm    of  the   Federal   Government; 


Over  the  Mountains  1 1 1 

whereas  the    southerners    owed    most  of 
their  victories  only  to  themselves." 

About  the  same  time  another  line  of  emi- 
gration moved  westward  across  the  state 
of  Pennsylvania  and  over  the  Alleghany 
Mountains.  Up  to  1762  France  had  claimed 
the  entire  country  west  of  the  mountains. 
In  that  year,  however,  by  treaty  England 
came  into  peaceable  possession  of  all  the 
territory  east  of  the  Mississippi  River.  Set- 
tlers were  attracted  to  the  unexplored 
wilderness.  In  a  few  years  thousands 
had  made  their  homes  among  the  Indian 
tribes  in  western  Pennsylvania  and  eastern 
Ohio.  Most  of  these  were  Presbyterian. 
An  appeal  came  to  the  Synod  "that  mis- 
sionaries might  be  sent  to  the  distressed 
frontier  inhabitants,  report  their  distress, 
learn  what  new  congregations  were  form- 
ing, what  was  necessary  to  promote  the 
spread  of  the  gospel  among  them  and  dis- 
cover what  opportunities  there  might  be  of 
missionary  work  among  the  Indian  tribes." 


1 1 2  The  Presbyterians 

Two  missionaries  were  appointed— Charles 
Beatty  and  John  Brainerd,  but  the  breaking 
out  of  a  terrible  Indian  war  incited  by  the 
French,  who  while  keeping  their  treaty  in 
letter  broke  it  in  spirit,  put  an  end  for  the 
time  to  all  missionary  work.  The  follow- 
ing year,  however,  (1776)  the  Indians  hav- 
ing been  driven  into  Ohio,  the  mission  was 
undertaken  and  Mr.  Beatty  and  Mr.  Duf- 
field  crossed  the  Alleghanies  and  after  hold- 
ing services  at  Fort  Pitt  they  pushed  on 
among  savages — whether  hostile  or  friendly 
they  knew  not — till  they  came  to  the  Mus- 
kingum "one  hundred  and  thirty  miles  be- 
yond Fort  Pitt."  They  found  the  Indians 
disposed  to  listen  to  their  message  and 
plans  were  made  to  send  additional  mis- 
sionaries the  following  year.  For  some 
reason  these  plans  were  not  carried  out. 
But  the  knowledge  obtained  on  this  tour 
stimulated  the  Church  to  earnest  efforts 
to  establish  permanent  missions  over  the 
mountains.     Thence  until  the  Revolution- 


Over  the  Mountains  113 

ary  War  annual  visits  were  made  to  the 
frontier  settlements.  The  people  were 
found  in  circumstances  of  poverty  and 
distress.  The  fear  of  savages  haunted 
them  continually  and  not  without  cause. 
Their  way  of  living  was  only  a  little  better 
than  that  of  the  Indians  by  whom  they 
were  surrounded  and  threatened.  The  his- 
tory of  the  "Old  Redstone  Presbytery" 
tells  how  in  "nine  cases  out  of  ten  a 
blanket  or  coverlet  served  as  a  substitute 
for  a  great  coat  in  winter  weather — how 
deer-skin  was  a  substitute  for  cloth  for  men 
and  boys — how  in  their  food  potatoes  and 
pumpkins  served  for  bread  and  bear's  oil 
for  butter — how  the  furniture  of  the  rude 
log  cabin  was  little  in  advance  of  that  of 
the  wigwam.  But  beneath  this  coarse  ex- 
terior," the  record  goes  on  to  say,  "beat 
hearts  as  true  to  the  cause  of  freedom,  in- 
telligence, morals  and  religion  as  any  in  the 
world." 
The  first  Presbytery  organized  west  of 


1 14  The  Presbyterians 

the  Alleghanies  was  the  Presbytery  of  Red- 
stone. It  had  a  remarkable  personality  and 
did  a  remarkable  work.  With  the  increas- 
ing companies  of  pioneers  who  before  and 
during  the  war  went  across  the  mountains, 
went  an  illustrious  little  band  of  mission- 
aries. The  first  settled  minister  was  James 
Powers— a  graduate  of  Princeton  and  a  li- 
centiate of  the  New  Castle  Presbytery.  He 
began  his  missionary  labors  in  Virginia,  but 
in  1774  he  crossed  the  mountains  and  spent 
the  summer  in  tours  among  the  inhabitants 
scattered  along  the  Youghiogheny  and  Alle- 
gheny Rivers.  In  1776  he  took  his  family 
to  the  field  of  his  labors  and  for  several 
years  lived  the  perilous  and  self-sacrificing 
life  of  an  itinerant  preacher.  In  1779  he 
became  pastor  of  the  Sewickley  and  Mount 
Pleasant  congregations.  His  influence  was 
extensive  and  powerful. 

One  of  the  bravest  and  most  famous  of  all 
pioneers  was  the  Rev.  John  McMillan  who 
went  to  western  Pennsylvania  in  1776.     He 


Over  the  Mountains  115 

too  was  a  Princeton  graduate.  It  is  prob- 
able no  one  of  all  the  early  missionaries  ex- 
erted an  influence  so  commanding  and 
widespread,  or  did  so  much  foundation- 
building  as  this  humble  and  godly  minister. 
When  he  came  to  the  cabin  that  was  to  be 
his  home  he  found  it  without  floor,  roof 
or  chimney.  He  had  neither  bedstead, 
table,  chairs,  stool  nor  bucket.  Two  boxes 
served  for  a  table  and  two  kegs  for  seats. 
His  family  frequently  had  no  bread  for 
weeks;  potatoes  and  pumpkins  served  in- 
stead. In  addition  their  lives  were  full  of 
dangers.  The  Indians  were  around  them  on 
every  side  and  were  constantly  being  in- 
cited by  the  French  to  make  depredations 
on  the  settlers.  In  such  circumstances  this 
courageous  missionary  lived  the  early  years 
of  his  ministry  and  did  a  work  which  was 
to  tell  on  the  centuries  to  come.  When  he 
left  the  east  his  instructor  and  friend  Dr. 
Robert  Smith,  urged  him  "to  look  out 
some  pious  young  men  and  educate  them 


1 16  The  Presbyterians 

for  the  ministry."  He  therefore  devoted  a 
portion  of  his  time  to  the  training  of  young 
men  who  afterward  became  his  co-presby- 
ters in  the  first  western  Presbytery.  Can- 
onsburg  Academy,  afterward  Jefferson  Col- 
lege, was  the  outgrowth  of  his  labors  and 
plans.  But  he  was  more  than  an  educator. 
He  was  a  preacher  of  such  pungency  and 
power  that  revivals  were  of  frequent  oc- 
currence and  churches  were  organized  and 
strengthened  on  every  hand. 

Others  soon  came  to  his  help.  One  of 
these  was  Thaddeus  Dod,  of  Newark,  N.  J. 
After  a  brief  ministry  in  Virginia  and  Mary- 
land, he  moved  over  the  mountains  and 
soon  began  forming  congregations.  In 
1 781  he  put  up  a  log  academy.  He  was 
specially  fitted  to  be  a  teacher.  In  1789  he 
was  called  to  take  charge  of  Washington 
Academy  which  in  1806  developed  into 
Washington  College.  A  man  of  fine  cul- 
ture, of  classical  taste  and  poetic  imagina- 
tion, he  was  beloved  by  all  who  knew  him, 


Over  the  Mountains  117 

and  for  sixteen  years  was  the  honored  in- 
strument in  laying  broad  and  deep  founda- 
tions of  education  and  religion. 

Another  to  join  the  pioneer  band  in  1779 
was  Joseph  Smith.  He  was  called  to  the 
united  congregations  of  Buffalo  and  Cross 
Creek,  and  for  many  years  his  ministry  was 
almost  a  continuous  revival.  To  a  mind 
well  trained  he  added  an  unction  and  elo- 
quence of  manner  that  made  him  one  of  the 
most  effective  preachers  of  his  generation. 
**  He  would  often  rise  to  an  almost  super- 
natural and  unearthly  grandeur  completely 
extinguishing  in  his  hearers  all  conscious- 
ness of  time  and  place"  (Old  Redstone, 
p.  67). 

Like  the  other  pioneer  missionaries  he 
made  the  training  of  young  men  for  the 
ministry  a  prime  concern.  Having  no 
building  for  school  purposes,  with  his 
wife's  consent  he  turned  the  family  kitchen 
into  a  schoolhouse  and  taught  a  Latin 
school  from  which  several  eminent  minis- 


ii8  The  Presbyterians 

ters  graduated.  Connected  with  this  school 
was  an  education  society,  for  here  the 
women  of  neighboring  congregations  as- 
sembled to  make  clothing  for  the  young 
men  who  were  pursuing  their  studies. 

Out  of  such  strenuous  conditions  grew 
the  first  Presbytery  among  the  mountains 
in  1 78 1.  It  consisted  of  the  ministers 
named  and  was  increased  during  the  next 
year  by  James  Dunlap,  also  a  Princeton 
man,  and  John  Clark  from  the  Presbytery 
of  New  Castle.  The  men  who  thus  laid  the 
foundations  beyond  the  Alleghanies  account 
for  the  virile  character  that  has  ever  marked 
the  churches  of  that  region.  They  were 
providentially  fitted  for  their  place  and 
time,  and  nobly  did  they  fill  up  the  meas- 
ure of  an  opportunity  whose  greatness  ap- 
peared only  in  subsequent  generations. 


CHAPTER  VII 

AN  ERA  OF  MISSIONS 

During  the  Revolutionary  War  the 
churches  suffered  severely,  both  in  prop- 
erty and  life.  In  many  places  church  work 
was  wholly  interrupted.  Congregations 
were  scattered.  Ministers  were  driven 
away  or  silenced.  About  fifty  Presbyterian 
church  buildings  were  destroyed.  Thus 
while  the  Church  kept  her  faith  with  her 
country  and  made  a  record  for  patriotic  de- 
votion that  adds  new  lustre  to  her  annals  it 
was  at  the  cost  which  war  always  entails. 
But  at  the  end  of  the  great  conflict  there 
was  everywhere  a  revival  of  church  life. 
The  people  gathered  joyfully  once  more 
around  the  altars   whence  they  had  been 

driven  and  that  period  of  progress  began 
119 


120  The  Presbyterians 

which  makes  the  nineteenth  century  illus- 
trious as  an  era  of  Christian  triumph.  Mis- 
sionaries pushed  to  the  frontiers.  New 
settlements  were  founded  from  the  forests 
of  central  New  York  to  the  pine  groves  of 
the  Carolinas. 

So  rapid  had  been  the  extension  that  as 
early  as  1785  the  question  of  the  union  of 
the  several  Synods  in  a  General  Assembly 
was  earnestly  considered.  A  bond  of  union 
between  the  widely  scattered  Synods  was 
an  increasing  necessity.  To  meet  this 
necessity  the  sixteen  Presbyteries  were  re- 
arranged and  grouped  in  four  Synods,  viz., 
New  York  and  New  Jersey,  Philadelphia, 
Virginia  and  the  Carolinas.  There  were  at 
this  time  177  ministers  and  431  churches. 

The  first  General  Assembly  met  in  Phila- 
delphia in  1789.  Dr.  Witherspoon  preached 
the  opening  sermon  and  Dr.  John  Rodgers 
of  New  York  was  chosen  Moderator.  The 
first  congress  of  the  United  States  was  then 
in  session  in  New  York.     In  harmony  with 


An  Era  of  Missions  12 1 

the  patriotic  spirit  which  the  Presbyterian 
Church  had  manifested  during  the  war  one 
of  the  first  acts  of  the  General  Assembly 
was  to  issue  an  address  to  Washington. 
Dr.  Witherspoon  prepared  it.  Dignified, 
patriotic  and  Christian  it  may  well  serve  as 
a  model  of  the  attitude  of  the  Church  to- 
ward the  nation.  After  referring  to  his 
military  career  and  his  unselfish  surrender 
to  the  popular  will  in  again  assuming  public 
responsibility  it  says:  **  But  we  derive  a 
presage  even  more  flattering  from  the  piety 
of  your  character.  Public  virtue  is  the  most 
certain  means  of  public  felicity,  and  religion 
is  the  surest  basis  of  virtue.  We  therefore 
esteem  it  a  peculiar  happiness  to  behold  in 
our  chief  magistrate  a  steady,  uniform, 
avowed  friend  of  the  Christian  religion; 
who  has  commenced  his  administration  in 
rational  and  exalted  sentiments  of  piety, 
and  who  in  his  private  conduct  adorns  the 
doctrines  of  the  gospel  of  Christ,  and,  on 
the  most  public  and  solemn  occasions,  de- 


122  The  Presbyterians 

voutly   acknowledges  the  government  of 
Divine  Providence. 

"The  example  of  distinguished  charac- 
ters will  ever  possess  a  powerful  and  ex- 
tensive influence  on  the  public  mind;  and 
when  we  see  in  such  a  conspicuous  station 
the  amiable  example  of  piety  to  God,  of 
benevolence  to  men,  and  of  a  pure  and 
virtuous  patriotism,  we  naturally  hope  that 
it  will  diffuse  its  influence,  and  that,  even- 
tually, the  most  happy  consequences  will 
result  from  it.  To  the  force  of  imitation 
we  will  endeavor  to  add  the  wholesome  in- 
structions of  religion.  We  shall  consider 
ourselves  as  doing  an  acceptable  service  to 
God,  in  our  profession,  when  we  contribute 
to  render  men  sober,  honest,  and  indus- 
trious citizens  and  the  obedient  subjects  of 
a  lawful  government.  In  these  pious  labors 
we  hope  to  imitate  the  most  worthy  of  our 
brethren  of  other  Christian  denominations, 
and  to  be  imitated  by  them;  assured  that  if 
we  can,  by  mutual  and  generous  emulation, 


An  Era  of  Missions  123 

promote  truth  and  virtue,  we  shall  render  a 
great  and  important  service  to  the  republic, 
shall  receive  encouragement  from  every 
wise  and  good  citizen,  and  above  all,  meet 
the  approbation  of  our  Divine  Master. 

"  We  pray  Almighty  God  to  have  you  al- 
ways in  his  holy  keeping.  May  he  prolong 
your  valuable  life,  an  ornament  and  a  bless- 
ing to  your  country,  and  at  last  bestow  on 
you  the  glorious  reward  of  a  faithful 
servant." 

Washington's  reply  was  worthy  of  him 
and  of  the  occasion.  Expressing  his  satis- 
faction over  the  approbation  of  his  conduct, 
he  adds:  "While  1  reiterate  the  professions 
of  my  dependence  upon  Heaven  as  the 
source  of  all  public  and  private  blessings,  I 
will  observe,  that  the  general  prevalence  of 
piety,  philanthropy,  honesty,  industry,  and 
economy  seems,  in  the  ordinary  course  of 
human  affairs,  particularly  necessary  for 
advancing  and  confirming  the  happiness  of 
our  country.     While  all   men   within   our 


124  The  Presbyterians 

territories  are  protected  in  worshipping  the 
Deity  according  to  the  dictates  of  their  con- 
sciences, it  is  rationally  to  be  expected  from 
them  in  return  that  they  will  all  be  emulous 
of  evincing  the  sincerity  of  their  professions 
by  the  innocence  of  their  lives  and  the 
benevolence  of  their  actions.  For  no  man 
who  is  profligate  in  his  morals,  or  a  bad 
member  of  the  civil  community,  can  pos- 
sibly be  a  true  Christian,  or  a  credit  to  his 
own  religious  society." 

The  Church  was  now  fully  organized  for 
its  great  work  and  to  it  addressed  itself  as 
if  with  some  conception  of  the  vastness  of 
its  undertaking.  The  cause  of  missions 
therefore  was  its  early  and  constant  care. 
It  realized  that  in  a  new  country,  rapidly 
expanding  its  borders,  the  mission  of  the 
Church  is  missions.  The  first  Committee 
on  Bills  and  Overtures  recommended: 
*'That  the  state  of  the  frontier  settlements 
should  be  taken  into  consideration  and  mis- 
sionaries should  be  sent  to  them."     An  an- 


An  Era  of  Missions  125 

nual  collection  was  also  ordered  in  all  the 
churches  ''for  defraying  the  necessary  ex- 
penses of  the  missions." 

At  the  next  meeting  of  the  Assembly  a 
committee  was  appointed  **to  prepare  cer- 
tain directions  necessary  for  the  missionaries 
of  the  Assembly  in  fulfilling  the  design  of 
their  mission  and  to  specify  the  compensa- 
tion that  it  would  be  proper  to  make  for 
their  services."  The  work  was  beginning  to 
take  shape.  The  same  year  Nathan  Her  and 
Joseph  Hart  were  appointed  missionaries  to 
the  frontier.  They  reported  to  the  next 
Assembly  that  they  had  spent  three  months 
in  the  business  assigned  them  beginning  at 
Middletown  and  going  as  far  as  theOneidas 
and  Cayugas  in  central  New  York.  In 
Pennsylvania  they  itinerated  in  the  Lacka- 
wanna valley,  visiting  the  settlements  at 
Pittston,  Wilkesbarre  and  Lackawanna. 
They  reported  a  great  increase  of  popu- 
lation in  central  New  York  and  recom- 
mended that  a  missionary  be  sent  to  that 


126  The  Presbyterians 

region,  "in  order  that  the  hopes  of  the 
pioneers  may  be  raised,  the  ignorant  may 
be  instructed  and  that  the  foundation  of 
gospel  principles  may  be  laid  in  this  exten- 
sive and  growing  country  in  such  a  manner 
that  discipline  may  be  exercised  regularly 
therein." 

The  Assembly  in  1794  adopted  a  circular 
addressed  to  the  inhabitants  visited  by  the 
missionaries.  It  lays  stress  on  the  duty  of 
maintaining  friendly  and  cooperative  rela- 
tions with  other  denominations.  It  is  in 
these  words:  ''As  our  aim  has  not  been  to 
proselyte  from  other  communions  to  our 
own  denomination  we  have  charged  our 
missionaries  to  avoid  all  doubtful  disputa- 
tions, to  abstain  from  unfriendly  censures 
or  reflections  on  other  religious  persuasions 
and  adhering  strictly  to  the  great  doctrines 
of  our  holy  religion  which  influence  the 
heart  and  life  in  the  ways  of  godliness  to 
follow  after  the  things  that  make  for  peace 
and  general  edification." 


An  Era  of  Missions  127 

The  Church  is  thus  on  record  at  the  be- 
ginning of  her  career  in  this  country  as 
favoring  brotherly  relations  with  all  Chris- 
tians of  whatever  name.  In  this  connection 
it  is  interesting  to  observe  the  close  rela- 
tions early  established  and  long  maintained 
between  the  General  Assembly  and  the 
General  Association  of  Connecticut.  The 
Rev.  Methuselah  Baldwin  was  in  1799 
directed  to  spend  three  months  or  more  in 
the  vicinity  of  Onondago,  "in  connection 
with  Mr.  Williston,  a  missionary  from  the 
General  Association  of  Connecticut." 

The  missionary  relations  of  the  Presby- 
terian and  Congregational  churches,  took 
definite  shape  in  1801  when  regulations 
promotive  of  harmony  and  cooperation 
were  adopted  by  the  Assembly.  Mission- 
aries are  enjoined  '*to  promote  a  spirit  of 
accommodation  between  those  inhabitants 
of  the  new  settlements  who  hold  the  Pres- 
byterian and  those  who  hold  the  Congrega- 
tional form  of  Church  Government."    This 


128  The  Presbyterians 

action  was  the  first  draft  of  ''The  Plan  of 
Union  "  which  went  into  effect  soon  after 
and  which  continued  for  more  than  a  gen- 
eration as  a  happy  arrangement  for  advanc- 
ing the  gospel  in  the  rapidly  developing 
parts  of  the  country.  It  provided  in  brief 
that  Congregational  churches  might  settle 
Presbyterian  ministers  and  the  reverse,  and 
that  if  a  congregation  consisted  partly  of 
Congregationalists  and  partly  of  Presbyte- 
rians this  fact  should  be  no  obstacle  to  their 
uniting  in  one  Church  and  settling  a  min- 
ister, and  that  in  such  case  a  standing  com- 
mittee of  the  communicants  should  be  the 
spiritual  leaders  of  the  congregation. 

The  nineteenth  century  opened  on  gen- 
eral demoralization  and  abounding  infidel- 
ity. Dueling  was  common,  drunkenness 
on  public  occasions  prevalent,  atheistical 
clubs  were  formed  among  students.  In 
1798  the  General  Assembly  said:  "We 
perceive  with  pain  and  fearful  apprehen- 
sion  a  general  dereliction  of  religious  prin- 


An  Era  of  Missions  129 

ciple  and  practice  among  our  fellow-citi- 
zens, a  visible  and  prevailing  impiety  and 
contempt  for  the  laws  and  institutions  of 
religion  and  an  abounding  infidelity  which 
tends  to  atheism  itself."  To  meet  this  sad 
condition  God  imbued  his  Church  won- 
derfully with  the  spirit  of  missions  and  re- 
vivals. 

How  thoroughly  the  Church  had  at  this 
time  a  true  missionary  spirit  was  illustrated 
by  an  action  of  the  Assembly  of  1800,  when 
among  objects  named  for  special  considera- 
tion were,  "The  gospelizing  of  the  Indians 
on  the  frontiers  of  our  country,  the  instruc- 
tion of  negroes,  the  poor  and  those  who 
are  destitute  of  the  means  of  grace  in  vari- 
ous parts  of  this  extensive  country."  In 
view  of  the  fact  that  there  was  not  a  suffi- 
cient number  of  ministers  to  meet  the  needs 
of  these  classes  an  order  of  men  under  the 
character  of  catechists  was  provided  from 
among  men  of  piety  and  good  sense  but 
without  a  liberal  education  who  might  *'in- 


130  The  Presbyterians 

struct  the  Indians,  the  black  people  and 
other  persons  unacquainted  with  the  prin- 
ciples of  our  holy  religion." 

The  same  Assembly  took  steps  to  raise  a 
permanent  fund  for  missionary  work.  It 
was  recommended  that  money  contributed 
for  missions  should  be  regarded  as  a  capital 
stock  to  be  invested  in  secure  and  perma- 
nent funds  for  missionary  purposes;  "that 
the  proceeds  of  it  should  be  employed  in 
propagating  the  Gospel  among  the  Indians, 
in  instructing  the  black  people  and  purchas- 
ing pious  books  to  be  distributed  among 
the  poor  or  in  maintaining,  when  the  As- 
sembly shall  think  themselves  competent  to 
the  object,  theological  schools  and  for  such 
other  pious  and  benevolent  purposes  as  may 
hereafter  be  deemed  expedient."  A  very 
broad  scheme  of  beneficence  in  which  may 
readily  be  found  the  germ  of  the  full  ecclesi- 
astical machinery  so  soon  to  be  developed. 

The  fully  organized  home  mission  work 
of  the  Church  dates  from  1802.     In  view  of 


An  Era  of  Missions  131 

the  increasing  demand  for  missionaries 
along  the  western  spreading  frontier  it  was 
agreed  that  there  should  be  a  "Standing 
Committee  on  Missions  "  consisting  of  four 
clergymen  and  three  laymen  whose  duty  it 
should  be  to  collect  information  relative  to 
missions,  to  designate  places  where  mission- 
aries should  be  employed,  to  nominate  suit- 
able persons  to  the  Assembly,  and  generally 
to  transact  the  missionary  business  of  the 
Church."  This  committee  had  practically 
the  powers  of  a  missionary  board.  It  pur- 
sued its  work  vigorously — north,  west  and 
south.  How  close  to  the  border  was  the 
missionary  field  at  that  time  is  illustrated  by 
the  fact  that  the  missionaries  sent  out  that 
year  went  to  Norfolk,  Va.,  to  the  city  of 
Washington,  to  the  Genesee  and  Sparta  in 
Ontario  County  in  New  York.  But  there 
was  also  an  out-reaching  to  the  adventur- 
ous pioneers  who  had  buried  themselves  in 
the  western  wilderness  as  is  manifest  from 
the  fact  that  some  of  the  missionaries  were 


132  The  Presbyterians 

sent  as  far  as  the  "Mississippi  Territory." 
A  few  years  later  the  interesting  statement 
is  made  ''that  Mr.  James  Hoge  a  licentiate 
of  the  Presbytery  of  Lexington  shall  serve 
as  a  missionary  for  six  months  in  the  state 
of  Ohio  and  the  Natchez  district," — a  pretty 
large  commission  for  one  lone  young  man, 
but  it  marks  the  beginning  of  a  service  that 
was  to  tell  mightily  on  the  regeneration  of 
Ohio  and  "the  regions  beyond." 

Long  before  this  organized  work,  indeed 
as  early  as  1777,  the  Rev.  Samuel  Doak 
organized  the  first  Presbyterian  Church 
at  Salem,  Tenn.,  and  established  Washing- 
ton College,  the  first  college  south  of  the 
AUeghanies.  "  He  came  from  New  Jersey 
and  had  been  educated  in  Princeton.  Pos- 
sessed of  the  vigorous  energy  that  marks 
the  true  pioneer  spirit,  he  determined  to 
cast  in  his  lot  with  the  frontier  folk.  He 
walked  through  Maryland  and  Virginia, 
driving  before  him  an  old  '  flee-bitten  gray ' 
horse,   loaded  with    a    sackful  of  books; 


An  Era  of  Missions  133 

crossed  the  Alleghanies,  and  came  down 
along  blazed  trails  to  the  Holston  settle- 
ments. The  hardy  people  among  whom 
he  took  up  his  abode  were  able  to  appreci- 
ate his  learning  and  religion  as  much  as 
they  admired  his  adventurous  and  indom- 
itable temper;  and  the  stern,  hard,  God- 
fearing man  became  a  most  powerful  in- 
fluence for  good  throughout  the  whole 
formative  period  of  the  southwest"  ("  The 
Winning  of  the  West "). 

The  westward  movement  had  become 
so  decided  by  1806  that  missionaries  were 
sent  to  the  *'  Indiana  Territory  "  and  to  the 
Cherokee  Indians  of  Tennessee.  The  Rev. 
Gideon  Blackburn,  destined  to  become  one 
of  the  home  missionary  heroes  of  the  south- 
west, was  employed  for  two  months  for 
missionary  service  among  those  Indians  and 
a  fund  of  $500  was  appropriated  for  an 
Indian  school  founded  by  him.  Another 
name  to  be  associated  with  that  of  Black- 
burn in  the  early  religious  life  of  Tennessee 


134  The  Presbyterians 

is  that  of  the  Rev.  John  Doak.  He  had  his 
first  commission  in  1812  in  these  quaint 
words:  **  A  missionary  for  six  weeks  com- 
mencing his  route  at  Fincastle  and  proceed- 
ing thence  on  missionary  ground  to  Greene- 
ville  in  East  Tennessee." 

A  general  revival  of  missionary  interest 
characterized  the  opening  years  of  the  new 
century.  The  Synod  of  Pittsburg  was  or- 
ganized in  1802 — primarily  as  a  missionary 
body,  assuming  the  name  of  "The  Western 
Missionary  Society."  Its  great  aim  was  to 
Christianize  the  Indians  and  to  supply 
Gospel  privileges  to  the  settlers  now  filling 
up  the  Ohio  Territory. 

The  newly  formed  Synod  of  Kentucky  in 
1803  appealed  to  the  Assembly  for  help, 
declaring  that  the  missionary  field  on  their 
frontier  was  so  "extensive  and  promising 
that  the  Synod  find  themselves  inadequate 
to  the  demand."  The  Synod  of  the  Caro- 
linas  was  similarly  exercised.  It  strug- 
gled bravely  on  until  in   181 2  the  amount 


An  Era  of  Missions  135 

of  mission  work  so  far  exceeded  their 
ability  that  it  was  resigned  to  the  care  of 
the  Assembly.  The  growth  of  the  country 
and  the  missionary  spirit  is  illustrated  by 
the  fact  that  in  1803  the  number  of  mission- 
aries sent  out  by  the  Assembly  was  only 
five;  in  1807  it  had  risen  to  fifteen;  had 
grown  to  forty  in  181 1  and  to  over  fifty  in 
1814  exclusive  of  those  sent  out  by  Synods 
and  Presbyteries. 

As  often  in  the  history  of  the  Church,  so 
now  the  advance  in  missions  was  explained 
by  general  and  powerful  revivals  of  re- 
ligion. The  movement  began  in  Kentucky 
and,  marred  though  it  was  by  many  ex- 
travagances and  much  fanaticism,  it  af- 
fected mightily  and  for  good  the  religious 
life  of  the  times.  The  people  gathered 
from  large  districts  of  country,  brought 
with  them  their  tents  and  provisions  and 
remained  for  days  or  weeks  engaged  almost 
continuously  in  religious  exercises.  Thus 
originated  the  camp  meetings  which  have 


136  The  Presbyterians 

been  so  conspicuous  a  phase  of  evangel- 
istic effort.  Tlie  revivals  continued  for 
several  years.  In  1801  the  movement  had 
spread  up  and  down  the  rivers  wherever 
there  were  settlements  and  the  subject  of 
religion  was  the  one  theme — not  for  discus- 
sion but  for  action.  The  scene  at  Cane 
Ridge  in  Bourbon  County,  is  illustrative  of 
many.  It  is  said  to  have  been  awful  be- 
yond description.  It  was  estimated  that 
twenty  thousand  people  had  gathered. 
Seven  ministers  would  be  preaching  at  once 
to  as  many  congregations.  The  tides  of 
emotion  were  uncontrollable.  Hundreds 
would  fall  at  a  sentence  and  cry  for  mercy. 
The  shouts  and  cries  sometimes  stopped 
the  preacher.  **At  one  time,"  a  spectator 
writing  of  the  scene  says,  "I  saw  at  least 
five  hundred  swept  down  in  a  moment  as 
if  a  battery  of  a  thousand  guns  had  been 
opened  upon  them  and  then  immediately 
followed  shrieks  and  shouts  that  rent  the 
very  heavens.     My  hair  rose  upon  my  head, 


An  Era  of  Missions  137 

my  whole  frame  trembled,  the  blood  ran 
cold  in  my  veins  and  I  fled  for  the  woods." 
This  was  not  the  testimony  of  an  enthu- 
siast but  one  who  said  he  "would  not 
have  fallen  to  the  ground  for  the  whole 
state  of  Kentucky." 

The  extreme  form  of  this  great  revival, 
involving  fanaticism,  doctrinal  vagaries 
and  physical  manifestations,  was  confined 
largely  to  Kentucky,  but  the  spirit  of  it 
went  abroad  through  the  nation.  It  spread 
north  and  east.  Its  fires  began  to  light  up 
western  and  central  New  York,  were  pres- 
ently felt  in  western  Pennsylvania  and  went 
over  the  mountains  into  Virginia  and  the 
Carolinas.  The  revival  spirit  continued  for 
a  full  decade.  Everywhere  churches  were 
quickened,  dead  churches  brought  to  life 
again  and  often  whole  communities  trans- 
formed. There  were  excesses  indeed  which 
brought  reactions.  The  Assembly  at  times 
felt  called  on  to  sound  a  note  of  warning 
against    false    doctrines    and    extravagant 


x^ 


138  The  Presbyterians 

methods.  But  these  things  were  but  as 
eddies  along  the  banks.  The  great  current 
moved  on  with  strength  and  blessing.  In 
four  years,  from  1809  to  18 13,  the  member- 
ship of  the  church  had  increased  nearly 
twenty-five  per  cent. 

The  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church  was 
an  indirect  result  of  the  powerful  revival  in 
Kentucky.  It  came  about  through  a  de- 
mand for  an  increase  in  the  number  of 
ministers  to  meet  the  new  opportunities 
which  the  revival  spirit  had  opened  through- 
out the  southern  mountains.  The  church 
could  not  furnish  the  needed  supply  of  edu- 
cated men.  Uneducated  men  were  pressed 
into  the  service.  They  were  zealous  but 
often  ill-balanced.  Excesses  in  methods 
and  unsoundness  in  doctrine  appeared  on 
every  side.  The  Synod  of  Kentucky  ap- 
pealed to  the  Assembly  for  counsel.  The 
Synod  however  was  divided  as  to  the  best 
course  to  pursue.  So  was  the  Assembly. 
On  the  one  hand  was  a  desire  to  maintain 


An  Era  of  Missions  139 

strict  ecclesiastical  procedure,  while  at  the 
same  time  favoring  the  revival.  On  the 
other  hand,  was  the  imperative  need  of 
more  preachers  and  the  desire  to  subordi- 
nate education  and  orthodoxy  to  the  urgent 
demands  which  the  revivals  had  made.  The 
discussions  in  Synod  and  Assembly  went  on 
with  increasing  heat  from  1804  to  18 14. 

In  addition  to  the  question  of  allowing  the 
ordination  of  uneducated  men  arose  the 
question  of  a  strict  or  lax  adoption  of  the 
Confession — many  of  those  strenuous  for 
the  new  methods  claiming  that  the  Confes- 
sion tended  to  ''fatalism."  The  Presby- 
tery of  Cumberland  was  the  storm  centre. 
In  1805  the  Synod  severely  criticized  the 
actions  of  that  Presbytery  and  appointed  a 
commission  to  confer  with  it  touching  the 
matters  at  issue  between  them.  The  com- 
mission rendered  a  decision  adverse  to  the 
Presbytery,  charging  it  with  receiving  young 
men  for  the  ministry  "not  only  illiterate 
but  erroneous  in  sentiment." 


^ 


140  The  Presbyterians 

During  the  next  four  years  there  was  a 
continuous  revival.  The  Presbytery's  com- 
plaint became  more  acute.  All  efforts  at 
reconciliation  failed.  In  1806  the  Synod 
formally  dissolved  the  Cumberland  Presby- 
tery. For  a  few  years  there  was  corre- 
spondence between  the  Assembly  and  the 
dissolved  Presbytery — but  without  avail. 
In  February,  1810,  the  independent  Cumber- 
land Presbytery  was  organized.  This  was 
the  origin  of  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian 
Church.  In  three  years  and  a  half  the 
Presbytery  had  grown  to  three  Presbyteries 
which  constituted  the  Cumberland  Synod. 
Since  then  it  has  had  continuous  growth 
and  is  now  a  thoroughly  organized  denomi- 
nation with  118  presbyteries,  2,944  congre- 
gations, 1,595  ministers,  and  is  not  only 
doing  its  own  work  in  the  southern  states 
but  is  carrying  on  a  large  home  and  foreign 
mission  work. 

In  the  southern  states  there  has  been 
formed  a  Colored  Cumberland  Presbyterian 


An  Era  of  Missions  141 

Church,  but  the  number  of  ministers  and 
church  members  is  small. 

Theologically  the  Cumberland  Church  is 
a  modified  Calvinism,  retaining  the  prin- 
cipal elements  of  the  Calvinistic  system  but 
rejecting  such  doctrines  as  a  limited  atone- 
ment and  special  grace.  The  fraternity  be- 
tween the  Presbyterian  and  the  Cumberland 
Churches  is  illustrated  by  the  correspond- 
ence between  their  Assemblies  and  by  their 
frequent  cooperation  on  mission  fields. 

About  this  time  the  slavery  question 
which  was  ultimately  to  divide  the  Church 
again  came  fully  to  the  front.  It  had 
claimed  the  attention  of  the  Synod  of  New 
York  and  Pennsylvania  as  early  as  1787. 
That  Synod  adopted  a  paper  strongly  advo- 
cating the  education  of  slaves  for  their  own 
sakes  and  for  the  good  of  the  state  and 
urged  such  "  prudent  methods  as  would 
procure  eventually  the  final  abolition  of 
slavery."  But  in  181 5  the  subject  began  to 
assume  menacing  proportions.     The  Synod 


142  The  Presbyterians 

of  Ohio  asked  for  a  deliverance  on  the  buy- 
ing and  selling  of  slaves.  Certain  elders 
who  had  scruples  about  owning  slaves 
also  petitioned  the  Assembly.  The  report 
adopted  was  a  strong  anti-slavery  docu- 
ment. It  expressed  regret  over  the  exist- 
ence of  slavery  in  the  United  States,  urged 
the  duty  of  educating  slaves  and  cherished 
the  hope  of  emancipation.  The  report 
further  declared  the  buying  and  selling  of 
slaves  "inconsistent  with  the  spirit  of  the 
gospel." 

The  period  now  under  consideration, 
viz.,  from  1802  to  18 16,  was  one  of  progress 
by  enthusiasm  and  organization.  Therefore 
notwithstanding  the  deleterious  influences 
resulting  from  the  war  and  the  agitations 
and  divisions  incident  to  the  revival  fanati- 
cism in  Kentucky,  the  growth  of  the  Church 
during  this  period  was  both  rapid  and  sub- 
stantial. In  the  east  there  were  organized 
local  and  general  societies  for  the  distribu- 
tion of  the  Bible  and  the  circulation  of  re- 


An  Era  of  Missions  143 

ligious  literature.  Missionary  societies  were 
also  increased.  In  New  England  the  Mas- 
sachusetts and  Connecticut  Home  Mission- 
ary Societies  developed  much  activity  and 
the  latter  by  union  with  the  Committee  on 
Home  Missions  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
penetrated  western  New  York  and  Ohio. 
In  Pittsburg  the  western  Missionary  So- 
ciety pushed  its  work  among  the  settlers  in 
the  Old  Northwest  and  to  the  Indians.  In 
1810  a  Sabbath  school  was  established  in 
New  Brunswick,  N.  J.,  **for  the  gratuitous 
instruction  of  poor  children  in  morals  and  re- 
ligious truth."  So  important  was  this  step 
regarded  that  the  Assembly  of  181 1  made 
grateful  mention  of  the  significant  fact. 

The  roll  of  churches  now  grew  fast.  In 
1801  there  were  four  Synods  with  twenty- 
eight  Presbyteries  and  not  more  than  22^ 
ministers,  with  perhaps  450  churches.  The 
fact  that  the  churches  outnumbered  the 
ministers  as  two  to  one  indicates  the  great 
missionary  activity  of  the  time.     By  181 5 


X 


144  The  Presbyterians 

the  numbers  had  about  doubled.  There 
were  then  forty-one  Presbyteries,  520  min- 
isters, 851  churches.  But  great  as  was  the 
missionary  enthusiasm  and  abundant  as  was 
the  fruit,  the  growth  of  the  country  sur- 
passed the  capacity  of  the  Church  to  over- 
take the  spiritual  destitutions.  Virginia  at 
this  time  had  nearly  a  million  people  and 
only  forty  Presbyterian  ministers  among 
them.  Indeed  in  the  great  westward  move- 
ment all  of  the  south  had  been  much  neg- 
lected. Many  of  the  strongest  men  from 
Virginia  and  the  Carolinas  went  over  the 
mountains.  Kentucky  and  Tennessee  at- 
tracted a  multitude  of  settlers.  The  popu- 
lation of  the  former  state  had  risen  to  400,- 
000  with  ninety-one  Presbyterian  churches. 
Tennessee  with  a  population  of  nearly  300,- 
000  had  seventy-nine  Presbyterian  churches. 
It  had  two  colleges — one  at  Maryville,  the 
other  in  Green  County — at  each  of  which 
there  were  students  preparing  for  the  min- 
istry.    Here  also  was  organized  thus  early 


An  Era  of  Missions  145 

an  independent  missionary  society.  As 
one  went  farther  west  the  destitution  be- 
came greater.  Indiana  Territory  with 
25,000  people  had  only  one  Presbyterian 
minister  and  Illinois  with  13,000  had  not 
one. 

In  some  of  this  western  and  southern 
region  there  were  a  good  many  itinerant 
Methodist  and  Baptist  missionaries.  The 
revival  of  the  preceding  years  had  brought 
many  to  leave  the  plow  or  the  shop  and  to 
begin  preaching  without  any  preparation 
other  than  that  of  zeal  for  the  cause.  That 
they  did  good  in  those  rude  conditions  and 
among  rude  people  need  not  be  questioned 
but  they  were  poorly  qualified  to  lay  the 
foundations  of  Christianity  in  a  new 
country.  However  the  West  continued  to 
grow  and  much  at  the  expense  of  the  East. 
Maryland,  Delaware  and  Virginia  declined 
in  the  vigor  and  number  of  their  churches. 
In  January,  1810,  Dr.  John  H.  Rice  of  Vir- 
ginia wrote  to  Dr.  Archibald  Alexander  as 


146  The  Presbyterians 

follows:  "I  think  the  state  of  religion  in 
this  country  worse  by  some  degrees  than 
when  you  left  it.  Presbyterian  congrega- 
tions are  decreasing  every  year  and  appear 
as  if  they  would  dwindle  to  nothing."  The 
same  was  true  of  some  parts  of  eastern  and 
central  Pennsylvania.  The  process  so  dis- 
astrously apparent  to-day  of  the  decline  of 
rural  eastern  communities  had  already 
begun. 

Meantime  the  westward  march  went  on. 
The  ordinance  of  1787  opening  up  the  cen- 
tral west  and  assuring  it  a  stable  and  free 
government  was  having  full  effect.  The 
Church  did  her  best  to  keep  up  with  the 
moving  columns  of  emigration  but  suffered 
for  lack  of  means  and  men.  Only  a  few 
thousand  dollars  a  year  was  available  for 
missionary  purposes.  The  missionary  sala- 
ries were  absurdly  small.  Thirty-three 
dollars  per  month,  later  raised  to  forty  dol- 
lars, was  the  salary  paid  men  like  Jedediah 
Chapman  and  James  Hoge.     The  scarcity 


An  Era  of  Missions  147 

of  properly  trained  men  also  forbade  a 
strong  advance.  In  1805,  Dr.  Ashbel  Green 
overtured  the  General  Assembly  in  these 
urgent  words:  "Give  us  ministers,  such  is 
the  cry  of  the  missionary  region.  Give  us 
ministers  is  the  importunate  entreaty  of  our 
numerous  and  increasing  vacancies.  Give 
us  ministers  is  the  demand  of  many  large 
and  important  congregations  in  our  most 
populous  cities  and  towns." 

This  appeal  resulted  immediately  in  a 
direction  to  the  Presbyteries  to  seek  out 
young  men  fitted  by  gifts  and  piety  and  to 
help  them  onward  to  the  ministry.  An  ap- 
peal was  also  made  for  funds  to  aid  in  their 
support.  The  trustees  of  the  College  of  New 
Jersey  offered  generous  provision  for  the 
support  and  instruction  of  theological  stu- 
dents. They  might  study  at  Princeton  "  at 
the  moderate  charge  of  a  dollar  a  week  for 
board  and  enjoy  the  assistance  of  the  presi- 
dent and  professor  of  theology  without  any 
fee  for  instruction."    This  was  the  begin- 


148  The  Presbyterians 

ning  of  Princeton  Theological  Seminary. 
Two  years  later  Dr.  Alexander  broached 
the  idea  of  such  a  seminary  in  the  General 
Assembly.  The  next  year  Dr.  Ashbel 
Green  brought  in  an  overture  on  the  subject 
and  in  1810  steps  were  taken  which  two 
years  later  resulted  in  the  organization  of 
the  seminary  and  its  location  at  Princeton. 
The  first  year  Dr.  Archibald  Alexander  was 
the  only  Professor.  The  next  year  Dr. 
Samuel  Miller  of  New  York  was  made  pro- 
fessor of  church  history  and  government. 
In  1814,  there  were  twenty-four  students  in 
attendance.  The  progress  of  the  institution 
was  rapid  and  in  181 7,  the  first  edifice — still 
standing — was  erected. 

There  were  giants  in  those  days:  Dr. 
Gardiner  Spring  of  New  York  was  just  en- 
tering on  his  long  and  eminent  career;  Dr. 
John  B.  Romeyn  of  the  same  city,  whose 
eloquence  at  times  was  as  the  rush  of  an 
irresistible  torrent;  Dr.  Eliphalet  Nott, 
president  of  Union  College,  eminent  as  an 


An  Era  of  Missions 


49 


executive,  scholar  and  orator;  Ashbel 
Green,  president  of  the  College  of  New 
Jersey,  a  courtly  gentleman  of  the  old 
school,  sagacious,  clear-headed  and  far-see- 
ing, who  laid  educational  foundations  to  tell 
mightily  on  subsequent  generations;  Archi- 
bald Alexander  the  model  pastor,  preacher 
and  professor,  permitted  during  a  whole 
generation  to  shape  the  lives  and  think- 
ing of  hundreds  of  ministers.  In  the 
West  was  John  McMillan,  patriarch  of  old 
Redstone  Presbytery  and  founder  of  Can- 
onsburg  Academy  and  Jefferson  College, 
strong,  brave,  impetuous  and  commanding 
in  his  influence;  Matthew  Brown,  Presi- 
dent of  Washington  College,  eccentric — 
of  lofty  character  and  impassioned  elo- 
quence; James  Hughes,  a  pioneer  pastor 
and  at  the  same  time  an  erudite  scholar  and 
finally  president  of  Miami  University.  In 
the  south  were  such  men  as  Moses  Hoge, 
president  of  Hampden-Sidney  College; 
John  H.  Rice  of  Richmond,  of  lovely  spirit 


150  The  Presbyterians 

and  ardent  piety  and  a  practical  wisdom ; 
David  Caldwell,  the  pioneer  preacher  of  the 
Carolinas.  These  and  many  others  like 
them  builded  well  for  the  Presbyterian 
Church  in  most  trying  times  and  deserve  to 
be  had  in  everlasting  remembrance. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THE  OLD  NORTHWEST 

The  progress  of  the  Church  in  the  West 
in  the  first  quarter  of  the  century  is  shown 
by  the  following  landmarks. 

Before  the  passage  of  the  ordinance  for 
the  government  of  the  Northwest  Territory 
portions  of  the  territory  along  the  Ohio  had 
been  carefully  surveyed.  In  March,  1786, 
the  Northeast  Ohio  Land  Company  was 
formed.  Its  object  was  to  promote  settle- 
ments in  the  new  territory.  One  hundred 
settlers  were  to  set  out  for  "the  Northeast" 
— for  the  land  of  promise.  Transportation 
was  to  be  free  and  each  man  was  provided 
with  tools  for  work  and  weapons  for  de- 
fense. They  left  Hartford,  Conn.,  January 
ist,  1788 — only  forty-seven  persons.  They 
crossed  the  mountains  on  the  line  followed 
151 


152  The  Presbyterians 

by  Braddock's  army.  It  was  April  before 
they  reached  the  Youghiogheny  River. 
They  drifted  down  to  Fort  Pitt  in  a  boat  fitly 
named  the  Mayflower — the  second  May- 
flower of  our  national  history.  Thence 
down  **The  Beautiful  River,"  till  on  the 
seventh  of  April  they  made  land  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Muskingum,  and  founded  the  town 
of  Marietta — one  of  the  first  headquarters  of 
civilization  and  education  in  the  west.  Of 
this  brave  little  company  Washington  said, 
"No  colony  in  America  was  ever  settled 
under  such  favorable  auspices  as  that  which 
has  just  commenced  at  the  Muskingum. 
Information,  property  and  strength  will  be 
its  characteristics.  I  know  many  of  the 
settlers  personally  and  there  never  were  men 
better  calculated  to  promote  the  welfare  of 
such  a  community."  Washington's  proph- 
ecy was  justified.  From  that  colony 
radiated  influences  which  have  told  mightily 
on  the  education  and  regeneration  of  the 
west.     Indian  wars  for  a  time  checked  the 


The  Old  Northwest  153 

colony's  growth  but  at  the  beginning  of  the 
century  it  had  become  a  place  of  such  im- 
portance that  ships  were  built  at  its  wharves 
to  navigate  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi.  The 
fertile  regions  of  the  two  Miamis  in  the 
southwestern  part  of  the  state  now  began 
to  attract  settlers.  Cincinnati  had  been 
laid  out  in  1789.  In  1790  ''Father  Rice" 
from  Kentucky,  organized  the  First  Presby- 
terian Church.  They  had  obtained  land  for 
a  building  but  were  too  poor  to  erect  one. 
So  they  converted  it  into  a  graveyard!  In 
1791  James  Kemper  came  to  them  as  a 
supply.  Their  first  audience-room  was  a 
circle  of  logs  on  the  lot  at  the  corner  of 
Fourth  and  Main  Streets.  Here  under  the 
canopy  in  justified  alarm  on  account  of  In- 
dian raids  they  worshipped  God  with  a 
rifle  in  one  hand  and  a  Bible  in  the  other. 
In  1792  a  log  church  was  built — the  timber 
for  the  building  being  taken  from  the  lot  on 
which  it  was  erected.  In  1800  Cincinnati 
had  only  750  inhabitants.     Dr.   Joshua  L. 


154  ^^^  Presbyterians 

Wilson,  a  man  of  power  and  large  capacity 
for  leadership  came  to  the  church  in  1808. 
Thenceforward  the  growth  of  church  and 
city  was  rapid.  In  a  decade  many  churches 
were  formed  along  the  valleys  of  the  Miami 
and  indeed  the  whole  state  became  a  scene 
of  pioneer  activity. 

The  northern  part  of  Ohio  was  the  last  to 
be  developed.  The  Western  Reserve  was 
laid  out  by  a  colony  from  Connecticut  and 
was  first  called  "New  Connecticut."  Ac- 
cess to  this  region  was  difficult.  There 
were  no  rivers  to  facilitate  transportation. 
The  march  through  the  woods  of  the  Em- 
pire State  was  both  difficult  and  dangerous. 
And  while  a  large  number  of  the  settlers  of 
the  Reserve  were  from  New  England,  very 
many  came  from  western  Pennsylvania. 
The  missionary  enterprise  of  that  region 
sent  many  ministers  through  the  forests  of 
eastern  and  northern  Ohio.  So  by  1808 
fifteen  or  twenty  churches  had  been  organ- 
ized and  the  people  were  calling  for  schools 


The  Old  Northwest  155 

and  churches.  Rev.  Abraham  Scott  wrote 
in  1809,  "People  in  general  here  profess  a 
desire  for  the  gospel.  They  appear  in  some 
measure  to  dread  the  consequences  of  being 
without  it,  and  that  both  in  respect  to 
themselves  and  their  posterity."  The  first 
Presbytery  of  the  Reserve  in  loyalty  to  Con- 
necticut was  called  the  Presbytery  of  Hart- 
ford. It  was  erected  by  the  Synod  of 
Pittsburg  in  1808. 

The  Synod  of  Ohio  when  erected  in  1814 
consisted  of  three  Presbyteries — all  of  them 
small.  Fifteen  years  later  there  were  fif- 
teen Presbyteries.  The  ministers  had  in- 
creased from  forty-four  to  two  hundred  and 
sixteen.  The  congregations  from  one  hun- 
dred and  fifteen  to  three  hundred  and  sixty. 
The  growth  on  the  Western  Reserve  was 
especially  large.  In  fourteen  years  (from 
18 1 6  to  1830)  seventy -five  churches  were 
organized  in  that  district  alone.  The  peo- 
ple came  chiefly  from  western  New  York 
and  New  England.     Nevertheless,   though 


156  The  Presbyterians 

the  church  grew  rapidly  the  destitutions 
were  very  great.  Many  places  had  scarce 
one  religious  service  in  a  year.  In  18 19 
Rev.  Mr.  Cowles  wrote,  "Throughout  the 
extensive  bounds  of  this  Synod  there  is  a 
general  cry,  '  give  us  ministers '  but  we 
have  them  not." 

Cleveland  was  settled  at  the  very  begin- 
ning of  the  century  but  for  the  first  decade 
made  little  progress.  The  opening  of  the 
Erie  Canal  in  1825  made  emigration  easy 
and  thenceforth  the  Western  Reserve  grew 
rapidly.  The  First  Church  was  organized 
in  1820.  Ten  years  later  there  were  only 
three  or  four  male  members  in  town  and 
the  total  membership  was  less  than  forty. 
But  six  years  later  the  church  had  grown  to 
200  members  and  another  church  was  or- 
ganized. 

A  survey  of  statistics  in  1831  indicates 
how  rapid  had  been  the  growth  of  Presby- 
terianism  in  Ohio.  In  Cincinnati  Presby- 
tery there  were  3,194  church  members;  in 


The  Old  Northwest  157 

Steubenville,  2,228;  in  Hartford,  2,921;  in 
Columbus,  1,636;  in  Chillicothe,  2,098,  and 
in  the  state  a  total  of  26,506.  Twenty-five 
years  before  the  state  was  an  almost  un- 
broken wilderness. 

Ohio  and  the  Northwest  generally  received 
its  great  impulse  toward  education  which 
has  ever  distinguished  it  from  the  ordinance 
of  1787  which  wisely  declared  "that  relig- 
ion, morality  and  knowledge  being  neces- 
sary to  good  government  and  the  happiness 
of  mankind,  schools  and  the  means  of  edu- 
cation shall  be  forever  encouraged."  In  the 
article  for  the  sale  of  western  lands  it  was 
provided  that  *'No.  16  of  every  township 
shall  be  reserved  for  the  maintenance  of 
public  schools  within  the  township."  The 
western  states  generally  availed  themselves 
fully  of  this  provision  and  thus  grew  up  in 
the  west  a  public  school  system  which  is  at 
once  the  pride  and  bulwark  of  the  nation. 
Schools  of  higher  grade  and  colleges  soon 
followed.     Marietta  College  dates  back  al- 


158  The  Presbyterians 

most  to  the  founding  of  the  town.  The 
Territorial  Legislature  took  early  steps  for 
building  a  university.  Athens,  fitly  named, 
furnished  its  location.  It  did  not,  however, 
attain  to  the  dignity  of  a  college  until  181 5. 

In  southwestern  Ohio,  the  ''College 
Township  "  was  first  set  apart  a  few  miles 
above  Cincinnati  but  in  1803  Congress 
changed  the  location  to  a  point  west  of  the 
Great  Miami  River.  The  commissioners 
chosen  for  the  purpose  located  it  at  Oxford 
in  Butler  County  and  it  was  named  Miami 
University.  It  has  since  then  graduated 
many  of  the  leading  public  men  of  the 
nation. 

In  1826  Western  Reserve  College  was  es- 
tablished at  Hudson.  It  has  recently  been 
moved  to  Cleveland  and  merged  in  Adel- 
bert  University. 

Oberlin  College  stands  as  a  typical  Ameri- 
can Christian  college.  It  has  been  notable 
for  its  evangelistic  and  missionary  spirit  and 
for  certain  philanthropic  and  reformatory 


The  Old  Northwest  159 

ideals  which  have  made  it  specially  in- 
fluential in  giving  moral  tone  and  character 
to  the  state. 

The  devotion  to  education  which  thus 
early  characterized  Ohio  marked  the  other 
four  states  of  the  *'  Old  Northwest."  Chris- 
tian education  was  their  watchword  and  in 
them  scores  of  Christian  academies  and 
colleges  have  put  a  Christian  stamp  on  new 
communities.  In  all  this  movement  the 
Presbyterian  Church  has  taken  a  leading 
place  and  has  vindicated  her  historic  devo- 
tion to  learning.  In  Indiana  such  colleges 
as  Hanover  and  Wabash;  in  Illinois  such  as 
Illinois,  Monmouth  and  Knox  Colleges  and 
Lake  Forest  and  Blackburn  Universities 
have  enabled  the  intelligence  to  keep  step 
with  the  progress  of  the  state.  In  Wiscon- 
sin such  colleges  as  Carroll,  Beloit  and 
Ripon  have  laid  foundation  for  learning  and 
culture. 

This  period  was  also  one  of  revivals  and 
church  unions.    The  revival  spirit  noted  in 


i6o  The  Presbyterians 

the  previous  chapter  continued  with  fewer 
excesses  and  showing  more  substantial 
gains.  This  was  especially  true  in  the 
North  and  the  West.  Thus  across  the  Em- 
pire State  and  into  Ohio,  Indiana  and  other 
states  there  was  a  procession  of  hardy 
pioneers  from  New  England  and  eastern 
New  York.  The  plan  of  union  now  in  full 
operation  brought  them  easily  into  fellow- 
ship with  Presbyterian  churches.  Revivals 
continued  in  central  and  western  New 
York  and  in  Ohio  and  among  the  moun- 
tains of  East  Tennessee.  Everywhere  the 
churches  were  strengthened  and  increased. 
In  1816  forty-three  Presbyteries  were  re- 
ported. In  ten  years  the  number  was 
doubled.  In  1816  there  were  540  ministers; 
in  1826,  1,140;  while  the  churches  had  in- 
creased from  920  to  over  2,000.  The 
growth  in  church  membership  was  even 
more  marked — having  risen  from  less  than 
40,000  in  1 8 16  to  over  122,000,  an  increase 
in  ten  years  of  over  300  per  cent.     As  to 


The  Old  Northwest  161 

numbers  this  was  the  most  fruitful  decade 
in  the  history  of  the  Church. 

Aside  from  the  wonderful  outpouring  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  which  characterized  that  era 
many  influences  combined  to  favor  the  ac- 
tivity of  the  Church.  The  development  of 
the  West  came  over  the  Church  as  at  once  a 
romance  and  an  opportunity.  In  a  decade 
the  columns  of  emigration  had  reached  the 
Mississippi  River.  The  missionaries  who 
visited  the  camps  and  settlements  in  western 
forests  and  on  western  prairies  gave  reports 
of  immorality  and  degradation  that  thrilled 
and  saddened  the  heart  of  the  Church.  She 
heard  the  call  to  the  evangelization  of  the 
country  as  that  of  a  bugle  blown  for  wars. 
A  few  itinerant  missionaries,  it  was  realized, 
were  wholly  incompetent  even  to  measure 
— much  less  to  equal — the  religious  needs 
of  the  West.  It  began  to  dawn  on  the 
Church  that  a  campaign  must  be  organized 
on  the  success  of  which  the  future  of  the 
Republic  would  largely  depend.     The  battle 


i62  The  Presbyterians 

for  civil  liberty,  the  echoes  of  which  were 
still  in  the  air,  must  be  supplemented  by 
another  fight  to  save  the  land  from  the 
thralldom  of  ignorance  and  sin.  So  there 
came  over  the  Church  of  every  name  a  spirit 
of  organization  for  home  and  foreign  mis- 
sions and  Christian  work  of  every  kind. 

The  Board  of  Home  Missions  which  had 
hitherto  been  a  Standing  Committee  of  the 
Assembly  was  organized  in  May,  1816,  and 
located  in  the  city  of  New  York.  Its 
powers  were  so  enlarged  that  the  whole 
work  of  home  missions  was  committed  to 
it,  subject  to  review  and  approval  at  the 
meetings  of  the  Assembly.  A  proposition 
was  made  to  unite  the  work  of  foreign 
missions  with  that  of  the  Home  Board.  It 
was,  however,  deemed  expedient  to  keep 
separate  these  two  great  agencies  of  mis- 
sions, each  having  its  own  great  sphere  and 
taxing  to  the  full  the  powers  of  executive 
officers.  There  was  also  at  this  time  a 
movement  to   unite  the   Presbvterian  and 


The  Old  Northwest  163 

the  Reformed  Dutch  and  Associate  Re- 
formed Churches  in  foreign  mission  work. 
This  union  was  accomplished  in  1817  and 
resuhed  in  the  ''  United  Foreign  Missionary 
Society."  Its  foreign  mission  work  was, 
however,  confined  almost  exclusively  to  the 
American  Indians  and  its  support  came 
mainly  from  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

Another  organization  that  had  the  hearty 
support  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  was 
that  of  the  American  Bible  Society  organ- 
ized in  1816.  The  cause  of  tract  distribu- 
tion also  received  favorable  attention.  The 
Church  was  thus  broadening  out  along 
many  lines  of  missionary  activity.  The 
spirit  of  cooperation  in  mission  work  is 
illustrated  by  the  pastoral  letter  of  the  As- 
sembly of  1817  which  says:  "Embrace 
every  opportunity  to  the  extent  of  the 
ability  which  God  has  given  you  to  form 
and  vigorously  to  support  missionary  as- 
sociations, Bible  Societies,  plans  for  the 
distribution  of  religious  tracts  and  exertions 


164  The  Presbyterians 

for  extending  the  benefits  of  knowledge 
and  especially  spiritual  knowledge  to  all 
ages  and  classes  of  persons  around  you. 
.  .  .  We  are  persuaded  that  all  those 
periods  and  Churches  which  have  been 
favored  with  special  revivals  of  religion 
have  been  also  distinguished  by  visible 
union  and  concert  in  prayer." 

In  these  days  of  Christian  federation 
churches  may  well  take  lesson  from  the 
principles  announced  by  the  Presbyterian 
Church  at  the  beginning  of  the  last  century 
when  it  declared:  "That  differences  of 
opinion  acknowledged  on  all  hands  to  be 
of  a  minor  class  may  and  ought  to  be 
tolerated  among  those  who  are  agreed  in 
great  and  leading  views  of  Divine  truth  is 
a  principle  on  which  the  godly  have  so 
long  and  so  generally  acted  that  it  seems 
unnecessary  at  the  present  day  to  seek 
arguments  for  its  support.  Our  fathers  in 
early  periods  of  the  history  of  our  Church 
had  their    peculiarities    and    diversities  of 


The  Old  Northwest  165 

opinion  which  yet  however  did  not  pre- 
vent them  from  loving  one  another  and 
cordially  acting  together."  (Gillett,  Vol.  2, 
pp.  218,  219). 

The  increasing  western  development  at 
this  time  forced  to  the  front  anew  the  ques- 
tion of  ministerial  supply.  Western  New 
York  and  eastern  Ohio  called  loudly  for 
men.  The  Presbytery  of  Niagara  had 
twenty-six  congregations  but  to  minister 
to  them  it  had  only  four  pastors.  Genesee 
with  nineteen  congregations  had  but  two 
ministers.  In  Erie  Presbytery  there  were 
twenty-one  congregations  without  a  stated 
ministry.  Farther  west  and  south  the  situ- 
ation was  worse.  West  Tennessee  had 
only  fourteen  ministers  to  a  population  of 
300,000.  In  Missouri  and  Mississippi  con- 
ditions were  still  harder.  The  Assembly 
of  1825  therefore  sounded  a  note  of  alarm 
and  called  on  the  Church  to  "consider  very 
seriously  the  case  of  the  destitute  parts  of 
our  country   and  especially  of  the   many 


i66  The  Presbyterians 

thousands  of  families  in  the  new  states  in 
the  West  and  in  the  South  which  are  grow- 
ing up  almost  entirely  destitute  of  the 
preaching  of  the  Gospel  and  of  all  re- 
ligious instruction."  They  thus  appealed 
for  money  to  enable  the  Board  of  Home 
Missions  to  send  out  missionaries. 

But  a  new  and  more  serious  difficulty  had 
already  emerged  when  it  was  impossible  to 
find  men  prepared  to  go.  This  fact  led  to 
the  formation  of  the  Board  of  Education  in 
1819.  Colleges  were  now  being  established 
in  various  parts  of  the  country.  Princeton 
was  attracting  many  students.  Washing- 
ton and  Jefferson  Colleges  in  Western 
Pennsylvania  were  meeting  the  intellectual 
needs  beyond  the  mountains.  Union  and 
Hamilton  Colleges  had  been  established  in 
central  New  York  and  were  prospering. 
The  development  of  theological  training  in 
this  period  was  remarkable.  Never  in  so 
short  a  time  in  the  history  of  the  Church 
did  so  many  theological  institutions  spring 


The  Old  Northwest  167 

into  being.  It  marked  a  complete  change 
in  ministerial  education.  The  old  days 
when  the  pastor  was  the  seminary,  the 
Greek  and  Hebrew  Testaments  were  the 
library  and  an  earnest  young  man  was  the 
class  were  followed  by  times  of  more 
scholastic  training  of  associated  students 
under  associated  instructors.  This  doubt- 
less was  a  gain  in  scholarship — a  gain  also 
in  contact  with  men  of  different  types  of 
thought.  That  it  involved  some  loss  of 
pastoral  experience  and  of  close  fellowship 
with  a  master  mind  cannot  be  questioned. 
On  the  whole,  however,  the  gain  out- 
matches the  loss. 

The  decade  from  1825  to  1835  was  char- 
acterized by  an  increase  of  organization. 
The  spirit  of  evangelization,  the  result  of 
the  great  revivals  of  the  first  two  decades 
of  the  century,  now  sought  to  body  forth  its 
endeavors  in  organized  form. 

Auburn  Seminary  was  founded  by  the 
Synod  of  Geneva  in  1820,  to  meet  the  de- 


i68  The  Presbyterians 

mands  of  the  growing  Empire  State.  It 
has  ever  had  a  scholarly  and  devoted  faculty 
and  has  trained  many  of  the  leading  minis- 
ters of  the  Church.  The  Western  Semi- 
nary at  Allegheny,  Pa.,  opened  its  doors 
for  students  from  western  Pennsylvania 
and  eastern  Ohio,  in  1826.  In  1828,  the 
Synod  of  Virginia  founded  Union  Seminary 
at  Hampden-Sidney  and  the  same  year  the 
seminary  at  Columbia  was  opened  by  the 
Synod  of  South  Carolina.  At  Maryville, 
Tenn.,  Isaac  Anderson,  a  great  teacher  and 
preacher,  began  an  institution  which  was 
at  once  academy,  college  and  theological 
seminary.  The  need  of  a  theological  semi- 
nary farther  west  now  began  to  be  felt. 
The  Lane  brothers,  members  of  the  Baptist 
Church  had  made  the  offer  of  funds  to  their 
own  denomination  to  found  such  an  insti- 
tution at  Cincinnati.  The  Baptist  Society 
to  whom  it  was  offered  not  being  able  to 
•  avail  themselves  of  it,  the  generous  donors 
gave  it  to  the  Presbyterian  Church  and  it 


The  Old  Northwest  169 

became  the  foundation  of  Lane  Seminary. 
In  1828,  an  association  was  formed  "for 
establishing  a  seminary  of  learning,  the 
principal  object  of  which  shall  be  to  edu- 
cate pious  young  men  for  the  gospel  min- 
istry." The  school  was  at  first  both  clas- 
sical and  theological,  but  in  1834  it  became 
an  exclusively  theological  institution.  Dr. 
Lyman  Beecher,  Dr.  Calvin  E.  Stowe  and 
Dr.  T.  J.  Riggs  were  among  its  earliest 
teachers.  When  Dr.  Beecher  left  New 
England  to  undertake  the  work  of  theolog- 
ical education  in  the  then  far  west  he  gave 
his  estimate  of  its  importance  in  these 
words:  "To  plant  Christianity  in  the  west 
is  as  grand  an  undertaking  as  it  was  to 
plant  it  in  the  Roman  Empire,  with  un- 
speakably greater  permanence  and  power." 
How  history  has  justified  that  opinion! 

In  1829,  Indiana  and  Illinois  rapidly  filling 
up  the  need  of  a  seminary  farther  west 
than  Ohio  pressed  on  the  attention  of  the 
Church.     Steps  were  taken  by  the  Synod 


lyo  The  Presbyterians 

of  Indiana  to  found  a  theological  institution 
in  connection  with  Hanover  Academy.  The 
following  year  the  seminary  was  organized 
and  Dr.  John  Matthews  was  elected  its  first 
professor.  It  was  removed  to  New  Albany 
in  1840  and  later  was  merged  in  the  Theo- 
logical Seminary  of  the  Northwest  at 
Chicago.  Meantime  the  needs  of  the 
southern  states  were  partially  supplied  by 
the  Theological  Department  of  Maryville 
College  in  eastern  Tennessee.  It  was  cen- 
tral to  a  population  of  two  millions  of  peo- 
ple— large  numbers  of  whom  were  desti- 
tute of  all  religious  privileges.  It  may  illus- 
trate the  simplicity  and  heroism  of  the 
times  to  state  that  students  were  so  diligent 
in  working  for  their  own  support  that  in  a 
single  year  1,200  bushels  of  corn  were 
credited  to  their  labor  and  that  by  this 
means  the  expense  of  the  institution  for 
their  board  was  reduced  to  one  dollar  per 
month.  The  passion  for  education  ex- 
tended far  out  among  the  western  settle- 


The  Old  Northwest  171 

ments.  In  Western  Tennessee  Nashville 
College  opened  its  doors  (with  a  theological 
department)  in  1825,  and  the  Presbytery  of 
Mississippi  laid  the  foundations  of  Oakland 
College.  In  1826,  Union  Theological  Semi- 
nary in  Virginia,  which  had  been  in  opera- 
tion for  several  years,  was  received  under 
the  care  of  the  General  Assembly  and  Dr. 
John  H.  Rice  was  appointed  a  professor. 

By  the  increase  in  the  number  of  candi- 
dates for  the  ministry  the  need  of  educa- 
tional societies  became  apparent.  In  18 19 
the  Presbyterian  Board  of  Education  was 
established.  Before  that  local  and  volun- 
tary societies  had  sprung  up  in  New  Eng- 
land. One  had  been  formed  in  Boston  in 
181 5  called  ''The  American  Educational 
Society  "  and  still  earlier  one  had  been  or- 
ganized in  Vermont.  Small  societies  de- 
signed to  help  students  had  sprung  up  in 
many  places.  They  became  auxiliary  to 
the  Presbyterian  Educational  Society  or  to 
the  American  Educational  Society,   which 


172  The  Presbyterians 

two  societies  were  united  in  1827.  So 
rapid  was  the  increase  in  the  number  of 
ministerial  candidates  that  whereas  in  1827 
there  were  only  thirty-five  under  the  So- 
ciety's care  two  years  later  there  were  over 
two  hundred. 

In  1826  there  was  also  a  union  of  the 
New  York  Missionary  Society  and  the 
American  Board  of  Commissioners  for 
Foreign  Missions.  The  latter  organization 
— though  not  connected  with  the  General 
Assembly — was  already  receiving  large  con- 
tributions from  the  Presbyterian  Church. 
And  as  two  societies  for  foreign  missions 
were  not  needed  it  was  judged  best — 
though  not  without  a  good  deal  of  opposi- 
tion—that the  work  of  foreign  missions 
should  be  conducted  by  the  American 
Board.  The  growth  of  voluntary  societies 
was  one  cause  of  the  division  which  oc- 
curred a  few  years  later. 


CHAPTER  IX 

THE   DIVISION  OF    1 837 

We  come  to  an  unfruitful  period  of  the 
history  of  the  Church.  The  second  quarter 
of  the  century  was  marked  by  debates,  dis- 
sensions and  division.  The  Reformed 
Presbyterian  Synod  was  the  first  of  the 
Presbyterian  bodies  to  be  divided.  It  con- 
sisted of  Covenanters  or  Reformed  Presby- 
terians, who  early  in  the  eighteenth  century 
had  settled  in  Pennsylvania.  They  grew 
very  slowly  m  numbers.  In  1798  the  Re- 
formed Presbytery  of  the  United  States  of 
America  was  formed  in  Philadelphia.  The 
Synod  consisting  of  three  Presbyteries  was 
organized  in  1809.  From  the  first,  there 
were  in  the  Church  two  parties,  caused  by 
their  relation  to  the  American  government. 
In  1800  a  law  was  enacted  that  no  slave 
173 


174  The  Presbyterians 

holder  should  be  a  communicant — a  position 
always  maintained.  The  question  whether 
this  could  be  called  a  Christian  government 
drew  the  line  between  conservatives  and 
liberals  in  the  Church.  After  prolonged 
debates  in  Presbyteries  and  Synod,  the  dif- 
ferences of  opinion  as  to  the  extent  to 
which  Christians  might  participate  in  mat- 
ters of  state  being  irreconcilable,  the  Church 
was  divided  in  1833.  The  conservative 
majority  proceeded  to  enforce  its  principles. 
Members  of  the  church  were  not  allowed 
to  vote,  hold  office  or  sit  on  juries.  The 
divorce  between  the  Church  and  the  po- 
litical system  must  be  complete.  The  mi- 
nority was  known  by  the  name  of  the 
General  Synod  of  the  Reformed  Presby- 
terian Church.  It  is  popularly  known  as 
the  New  Light  Covenanting  Church  and, 
while  adhering  to  its  distinctive  principles, 
it  allows  its  members  to  discharge  civic 
duties. 
The  next  body  to  feel  the  strain  of  eccle- 


The  Division  of  1837         175 

siastical  and  theological  thought  was  the 
Presbyterian  Church.  Up  to  this  time  the 
strenuous  pioneer  conditions  had  kept  the 
Church  measurably  free  from  theological 
strife.  There  had  of  course  always  been 
those  differences  of  thought  which  tempera- 
ment and  environment  accentuate.  But  for 
the  most  part  they  were  not  much  regarded 
in  church  councils  and  had  no  effect  other 
than  to  cause  here  and  there  a  ripple  on  the 
surface  of  church  life.  But  we  come  now 
to  the  beginning  of  serious  differences 
which  soon  went  deeper  than  the  surface. 
Dr.  Samuel  Hopkins  of  Newport,  R.  I.,  was 
a  man  of  acumen,  originality  and  power. 
His  theological  influence  was  scarcely  less 
than  that  of  Jonathan  Edwards.  His  views 
differed  from  those  of  the  accepted  theology 
of  the  day,  in  that  he  denied  the  imputa- 
tion of  Adam's  sin  and  the  righteousness  of 
Christ  and  held  that  all  true  holiness  con- 
sisted in  bevenolence  and  all  sin,  in  self- 
ishness.    These    ideas    soon    had   a    large 


176  The  Presbyterians 

following  in  New  England  and  in  other 
parts  of  the  country.  They  were  held  by 
Samuel  Whelpley,  Gardiner  Spring,  Samuel 
Hanson  Cox  of  New  York,  and  others. 
They  were  strongly  resisted  by  the  Synod 
of  Pennsylvania.  The  discussions  concern- 
ing them  invaded  the  General  Assembly. 
But  after  a  time  when  Hopkins  and  others 
who  gave  them  currency  had  passed  away 
they  faded  from  public  attention,  though 
still  more  or  less  widely  held  by  individuals 
in  the  Church. 

But  New  England  now  supplied  another 
storm  centre.  Dr.  Nathaniel  W.  Taylor, 
Professor  of  Theology  in  Yale  College,  ad- 
vanced improvements  in  Calvinism  which 
were  thought  to  imperil  the  system.  The 
following  year  a  young  preacher  in  Mor- 
ristown,  N.  J.,  by  the  name  of  Albert 
Barnes  declared  himself  in  substantial  agree- 
ment with  Dr.  Taylor.  He  was  called  to 
Philadelphia  and  there  was  much  opposi- 
tion to  his  installation  as  pastor  of  the  First 


The  Division  of  1837         177 

Church.  The  matter  went  from  Presbytery 
to  Synod,  which  body,  condemning  his 
views,  urged  him  to  retract  and  meantime 
suspended  him  from  the  functions  of  the 
ministry.  He  refused  to  retract.  The  case 
went  to  the  Assembly  which,  while  ex- 
pressing disapproval  of  particular  passages, 
declared  the  Presbytery  should  have  been 
satisfied  with  Mr.  Barnes'  disavowals. 

The  storm  was  now  on — Philadelphia 
and  New  York  shared  about  equally  in  its 
rigor.  Dr.  Green,  Dr.  Junkin  and  Mr. 
McCalla  were  lined  up  as  the  leaders  of 
strict  interpretation  of  the  Confession.  Dr. 
Skinner,  Dr.  Potts  and  Mr.  Barnes  repre- 
sented the  liberal  views.  Rev.  James  W. 
Alexander  in  gentle  sarcasm  suggested 
"Philadelphia"  be  changed  to  "Misadel- 
phia,"  and  Dr.  Rice  of  Union  Theological 
Seminary  in  Virginia  pleaded  that  ''the 
Church  is  not  to  be  purified  by  controversy 
but  by  holy  love."  Visiting  the  north  in 
1830  he  said  sadly,  "  Everything  is  cold  and 


178  The  Presbyterians 

dead  except  the  spirit  of  controversy.  In 
Philadelphia  and  New  York  things  are  in  a 
dismal  condition." 

At  about  this  time  Dr.  Lyman  Beecher 
was  called  to  a  professorship  at  Lane  Semi- 
nary, Cincinnati.  He  had  not  been  long  in 
his  chair  when  charges  of  heresy  were  pre- 
ferred against  him  by  Dr.  Joshua  L.  Wilson, 
pastor  of  the  First  Church  of  Cincinnati. 
He  was  charged  with  holding  Arminian 
doctrines  at  variance  with  the  Confession 
of  Faith  in  respect  to  original  sin,  total  de- 
pravity and  free  agency.  In  June,  1835, 
the  Presbytery  met  for  the  trial  of  the  case. 
It  was  a  notable  occasion.  Both  the  prose- 
cutor and  the  defendant  were  men  of  mark. 
Dr.  Wilson  had  for  many  years  been  a 
leader  in  the  West — a  man  of  dauntless 
courage  and  intellectual  power — but  of  an 
aggressive  temper  that  often  weakened  his 
cause  in  debate.  Dr.  Beecher  had  long 
been  the  guardian  of  orthodoxy  against 
Unitarianism   in  New  England.     The  trial 


The  Division  of  1837         179 

extended  through  several  days  and  resulted 
in  the  vindication  of  Beecher.  Dr.  Wilson 
appealed  to  the  Synod  with  the  same  result. 
The  case  was  carried  to  the  Assembly  but 
was  never  presented  before  that  body. 
The  reason  never  was  clearly  known. 
Some  said  that  Dr.  Wilson  was  persuaded 
by  his  friends  that  he  had  gone  far  enough. 
Others— that  on  the  way  to  the  Assembly  a 
rogue  stole  his  coat  containing  his  papers 
and  that  he  was  therefore  without  ammuni- 
tion to  carry  on  the  battle. 

The  agitation  now  became  general 
throughout  the  Church.  On  the  one  hand 
fears  of  New  England  theology  increased 
and  in  Presbyteries  and  Synods  a  stricter 
adherence  to  the  standards  was  urged.  On 
the  other  hand  complaints  were  loud  that 
the  terms,  by  which  the  reunion  of  the 
Synods  of  New  York  and  Philadelphia  was 
affected,  were  being  violated  and  new 
bonds  were  being  put  on  the  hberty  of  the 
Church. 


l8o  The  Presbyterians 

The  troubles  were  increased  by  a  protest 
called  "The  Western  Memorial"  which 
was  presented  to  the  Assembly  in  1834.  It 
was  signed  by  eighteen  ministers  and 
ninety-nine  elders  and  drew  a  dark  picture 
of  doctrinal  defection  and  consequent 
danger.  It  reflected  on  the  action  of  pre- 
vious Assemblies  charging  them  with 
"avoiding  a  prompt  discharge  of  their  con- 
stitutional duties."  It  also  denounced  the 
Plan  of  Union,  claiming  that  many  who 
bore  the  Presbyterian  name  adopted  the 
Standards  each  according  to  his  own  mind 
and  that  many  had  been  ordained  to  the 
Presbyterian  ministry  before  they  knew 
what  Presbyterianism  was;  voluntary  as- 
sociations were  also  discredited  and  the 
Home  Missionary  Society  was  declared  to 
be  subversive  of  the  Presbyterian  system. 
The  answer  of  the  Assembly  was  of  course 
unsatisfactory.  It  refused  to  abrogate  the 
Plan  of  Union  and  to  reflect  on  the  action 
of  preceding  Assemblies  and  generally  op- 


The  Division  of  1837         181 

posed  itself  to  the  high  church  views  of  the 
Memorialists. 

The  minority  now  drew  up  a  remarkable 
paper  called  "The  Act  and  Testimony." 
It  affirmed  in  yet  stronger  language  the 
statements  of  the  Memorial.  It  declared 
church  courts  recreant  to  their  duty  in  up- 
holding the  doctrines  of  the  Church;  that 
Synods  and  Assemblies  were  "made  the- 
atres for  the  open  display  of  humiliating 
scenes  of  human  passion  and  weakness," 
and  called  upon  church  courts  to  purge  the 
church  of  heresies  and  asked  church  officers 
and  Assemblies  believing  in  the  principles 
stated  to  give  them  their  public  adherence. 
This  was  in  effect  a  call  for  a  division  of 
the  Church.  A  convention  to  ratify  "The 
Act  and  Testimony  "  was  called  to  meet  in 
Pittsburg  previous  to  the  meeting  of  the 
Assembly  of  1835  to  adopt  such  measures 
as  should  be  "best  suited  to  restore  the 
prostrate  Standards."  Thirty-seven  min- 
isters and  twenty- seven  elders  signed  this 


i82  The  Presbyterians 

call.  The  leaders  in  this  movement  were 
Dr.  Joshua  L.  Wilson  of  Cincinnati,  Dr. 
R.  J.  Breckenridge  of  Kentucky,  and  Drs. 
Green  and  George  Junkin  and  James  Latta 
of  Pennsylvania. 

The  Princeton  Review  set  itself  against 
these  extreme  measures.  It  called  them 
equivalent  to  "recommendations  to  re- 
nounce the  allegiance  of  the  Church";  that 
they  were  ''extra  constitutional  and  revo- 
lutionary and  to  be  opposed."  It  truly  de- 
clared "division  is  the  end  to  which  this 
enterprise  leads  and  to  which,  we  doubt 
not,  it  aims."  The  Review  undoubtedly 
represented  the  views  of  a  large  proportion 
of  the  Church. 

The  convention  which  had  been  called 
met  in  Pittsburg  in  May,  1835;  forty-one 
Presbyteries  were  represented  and  minori- 
ties from  thirteen  more.  A  list  of  griev- 
ances in  line  with  ''The  Act  and  Testi- 
mony "  was  drawn  up  and  presented  to  the 
Assembly.     It  portrayed  the  condition   of 


The  Division  of  1837         183 

the  Church  in  dark  colors  and  urged  the 
annuUing  of  the  "Plan  of  Union"  to  the 
operation  of  which  it  traced  the  troubles 
that  were  affecting  the  Church.  The  alarms 
which  had  been  sounded  were  bearing 
fruit.  The  Assembly  proved  to  be  in  sym- 
pathy with  the  Memorialists  and  while  not 
going  the  full  length  of  the  grievances  that 
were  presented  nevertheless  condemned  the 
"elective  affinity"  principle  of  constituting 
church  courts  and  pronounced  against  the 
"Plan  of  Union."  It  did  not,  however, 
favor  an  entire  break  with  the  New  Eng- 
land churches  and  it  refused  to  prohibit  the 
work  of  voluntary  societies  like  the  Educa- 
tional and  the  Home  Missionary  Societies. 

The  Memorialists  felt,  now  that  the  As- 
sembly was  back  of  them,  they  could  go 
further.  The  Synod  of  Philadelphia  re- 
sumed the  prosecution  of  Mr.  Barnes  and 
suspended  him  from  the  ministry.  He  ap- 
pealed to  the  Assembly  of  1836  when  again 
the  scale  turned  and  his  friends  were  in  the 


184  The  Presbyterians 

majority  and  his  appeal  against  the  Synod 
was  sustained. 

The  defeated  party  prepared  at  once  to 
line  up  their  forces  for  the  next  meeting  of 
the  Assembly.  Confidential  circulars  were 
sent  out  to  all  who  were  supposed  to  be  in 
sympathy  with  them  and  a  convention  was 
called  to  meet  in  Philadelphia  just  before  the 
Assembly  of  1837.  In  a  pamphlet  issued  to 
prepare  the  way  for  action  it  was  openly 
avowed,  "  In  some  way  or  other  these  men 
must  be  separated  from  us."  The  Prince- 
ton Review  still  pleaded  for  peace  and  union 
and  exposed  the  folly  of  division.  But  in 
vain.  There  was  a  good  deal  of  division  of 
sentiment  over  the  discussions  of  the  con- 
vention which  was  attended  by  about  one 
hundred  ministers  and  elders,  but  there  was 
general  agreement  on  the  necessity  for  drastic 
measures  to  purge  the  Church  of  the  errors 
and  defections  which  were  creeping  in  upon 
her.  The  memorial  to  the  Assembly  was 
in  substance  the  same  as  that  of  the  pre- 


The  Division  of  1837         185 

ceding  year:  the  **Plan  of  Union"  must 
cease;  voluntary  societies  could  no  longer 
be  countenanced;  churches  and  Presbyteries 
not  organized  on  Presbyterian  principles 
must  no  longer  be  recognized;  every  minis- 
ter entering  a  Presbytery,  no  matter  what 
his  standing  in  another  Presbytery,  must  be 
examined.  These  and  similar  requirements 
were  laid  before  the  Assembly  which  met 
in  Philadelphia  on  the  i8th  of  May,  1837. 
Dr.  John  Witherspoon  opened  the  Assembly 
with  a  sermon  pleading  for  peace.  But  the 
battle  royal  was  soon  on.  The  two  parties 
were  led  with  great  ability.  On  the  con- 
servative side  were  Plumer,  Breckenridge, 
Junkin  and  Greene.  On  the  other  side 
were  Beman,  Porter,  Duffield,  Dickinson 
and  others.  The  vote  for  moderator, 
electing  Dr.  David  Elliott,  foreshadowed 
the  result.  The  first  action  taken  May 
22d  was  that  regarding  the  ''Plan  of 
Union."  The  assent  of  the  other  party  to 
it  (the  General  Assembly  of  Connecticut) 


i86  The  Presbyterians 

was  not  even  considered.  In  vain  its  friends 
pleaded  the  good  it  had  effected  in  giving 
churches  to  new  communities.  It  was  re- 
garded as  inimical  to  sound  doctrine  and 
Presbyterian  order.  Dr.  Alexander  and 
others  admitted  its  past  value,  but  thought 
in  changed  and  more  settled  conditions  it 
was  no  longer  needed.  It  was  declared 
"unnatural  and  unconstitutional,"  and  was 
therefore  abrogated. 

On  motion  of  Mr.  Plumer  the  Assembly 
next,  after  prolonged  debate  and  by  a  re- 
duced majority,  adopted  a  resolution  sum- 
moning inferior  judicatories,  which  com- 
mon fame  charged  with  irregularities,  to  the 
bar  of  the  next  Assembly. 

An  effort  was  next  made  for  a  voluntary 
division  of  the  Church  and  a  committee 
from  representatives  of  both  parties  was 
appointed  to  mature  a  plan  for  bringing  it 
about.  The  committee  was  unable  to 
agree. 

The  next  step  was  the  offering  of  a  reso- 


The  Division  of  1837         187 

lution,  also  by  Mr.  Plumer,  exscinding  the 
Western  Reserve  Synod  which  had  been 
formed  on  the  basis  of  the  "Plan  of  Union." 
After  an  acrimonious  debate  the  resolution 
was  adopted  by  a  vote  of  132  to  105  and 
the  Synod  of  the  Western  Reserve  was  de- 
clared to  be  no  longer  a  part  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church.  After  that  the  steps  were 
easily  and  swiftly  taken.  The  Home  Mis- 
sionary Society,  the  American  Educational 
Society,  and  all  their  branches  were  pro- 
nounced injurious  to  the  Church,  and 
churches  were  recommended  to  cease  all 
cooperation  with  them.  The  following  day 
the  Synods  of  Utica,  Geneva  and  Genesee 
were  similarly  exscinded.  This  action  was 
accompanied  by  a  direction  to  ministers  and 
churches  within  the  bounds  of  these  Synods 
who  were  really  Presbyterian  to  apply  for 
admission  to  the  nearest  Presbytery.  The 
third  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia,  to  which 
Mr.  Barnes  belonged  and  which  had  stood 
by  him  in  his  various  trials,  was  also  dis- 


l88  The  Presbyterians 

solved.  Thus  was  the  division  accomplished 
which  for  a  generation  was  to  be  the  occa- 
sion of  strife  among  brethren. 

Other  measures,  directly  or  indirectly 
connected  with  the  disputes  which  resulted 
in  the  division,  followed  as  a  matter  of 
course.  On  an  impartial  review  after  two 
generations  have  given  perspective  for  an 
unbiased  examination  of  the  conditions 
which  forced  the  division,  it  is  evident  that 
while  the  *'  Plan  of  Union  "  was  not  known 
to  the  Constitution  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  and  therefore  introduced  a  foreign 
element  which  might  at  anytime  cause  irri- 
tation and  suspicion,  yet  the  summary  abro- 
gation of  it  "by  the  vote  of  a  majority" 
and  the  exscinding  at  the  same  time  by  a 
mere  resolution  of  four  Synods  was  an  ex- 
tra constitutional  act  which  might  justly  be 
feared  to  imperil  the  standing  and  rights  of 
other  Synods  in  the  future. 

The  questions  such  fears  would  raise 
might  have  been  trusted  to  secure  a  recon- 


The  Division  of  1837         189 

sideration  of  the  Assembly's  high-handed 
action  at  some  time  not  far  away  when  the 
passions  of  party  should  have  had  some 
chance  to  cool — had  not  another  question 
now  come  into  the  ecclesiastical  arena  which 
made  the  separation  final.  That  question 
ivas  the  question  of  slavery.  This  has 
played  so  large  a  part  in  the  history  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  even  to  the  present 
time  that  a  brief  review  of  it  is  important. 
The  earliest  action  on  the  subject  in  1787  has 
already  been  noted.  But  Banquo's  ghost 
was  destined  to  a  continued  reappearance. 
In  1818  the  matter  of  the  sale  of  a  Christian 
slave  was  brought  before  the  Assembly. 
That  body  took  prompt  and  positive  action. 
It  declared:  '*We  consider  the  voluntary 
enslaving  of  one  part  of  the  human  race  by 
another  as  a  gross  violation  of  the  most 
sacred  and  precious  rights  of  human  nature 
and  as  utterly  inconsistent  with  the  law  of 
God."  And  after  depicting  the  evils  of 
slavery  the  document  concludes  by  declar- 


igo  The  Presbyterians 

ing  it  to  be  the  duty  of  Christians  "to  use 
their  honest,  earnest  and  unwearied  endeav- 
ors to  correct  the  error  of  former  times  and 
as  speedily  as  possible  to  efface  this  blot  on 
our  holy  religion  and  to  obtain  the  complete 
abolition  of  slavery  throughout  Christendom 
and  if  possible  throughout  the  world." 
Nothing  stronger  or  more  comprehensive 
could  well  be  written. 

This  remained  the  attitude  of  the  Church 
until  1837.  The  question  now  assumed 
new  proportions.  The  discussions  in  the 
South  were  intense  and  continuous.  Some 
ministers  left  the  South  and  moved  to  Ohio 
because  unable  longer  to  countenance  slav- 
ery. The  antislavery  sentiment  of  Ken- 
tucky grew  stronger  under  the  influence  of 
such  leaders  as  **  Father  Rice."  It  is  a 
remarkable  fact  that  from  1825  to  1837 
there  were  more  antislavery  societies  in 
the  South  than  in  the  North.  It  is  said 
there  were  forty-one  in  North  Carolina  and 
twenty-three  in  Tennessee  and  many  others 


The  Division  of  1837         191 

in  Virginia  and  Kentucky.  They  were 
founded  chiefly  by  a  Quaker — Benjamin 
Lundy.  In  1833  the  subject  was  discussed 
for  two  days  in  the  Synod  of  Kentucky 
and  when  Synod  adjourned  without  taking 
action,  Dr.  Breckenridge  rose  and  declared, 
"Since  God  has  forsaken  the  Synod  of 
Kentucky,  Robert  J.  Breckenridge  will  for- 
sake it  too."  The  following  year,  how- 
ever, strong  action  was  taken  denouncing 
the  system  as  one  that  was  demoralizing  to 
blacks  and  whites  and  calculated  to  draw 
down  the  vengeance  of  heaven. 

But  this  advanced  public  sentiment  was 
not  general  in  the  South.  Meantime  a  rad- 
ical antislavery  crusade  was  being  pushed 
in  the  North.  Inflammatory  publications 
were  flung  abroad.  A  reaction  was  inevi- 
table and  came  swiftly.  The  southern  states 
stiffened  their  slave  laws.  It  was  the  last 
desperate  effort  of  the  "peculiar  institu- 
tion "  to  maintain  its  power.  As  the  centre 
of  the  antislavery  movement  was  in  New 


192  The  Presbyterians 

England,  those  who  favored  the  New  Eng- 
land theology  were  easily  classed  as  aboli- 
tion fanatics.  While  the  cleavage  between 
Old  and  New  School  by  no  means  indicated 
the  division  of  sentiment  in  regard  to  slav- 
ery, yet  it  was  probably  true  that  the  strong- 
est feeling  was  among  those  who  favored 
free  ecclesiastical  methods  and  voluntary 
societies.  So  at  least  the  people  in  the 
South  believed.  The  result  was  that  as  the 
antislavery  feeling  rose  in  the  North  it  de- 
clined in  the  South. 

The  years  following  the  division  in  1837 
were  years  of  strife  and  consequent  aliena- 
tion. In  1838,  after  an  ineffectual  attempt 
of  the  exscinded  Synods  to  secure  recogni- 
tion as  a  constituent  part  of  the  General 
Assembly,  a  separate  organization  was 
effected  in  the  First  Presbyterian  church  of 
Philadelphia  and  the  Assembly  subsequently 
known  as  the  New  School  was  constituted. 
The  acts  of  the  Assembly  of  1837  were  re- 
pealed; the  Home  Missionary  Society  and 


The  Division  of  1837         193 

the  Educational  Society  were  endorsed  and 
commended  to  the  churches;  the  act  by 
which  the  four  Synods  had  been  declared 
no  longer  a  part  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
was  pronounced  "utterly  at  variance  with 
the  constitution  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
in  the  United  States  of  America  and  there- 
fore inoperative  and  void." 

To  determine  questions  of  ecclesiastical 
rights  and  property,  suit  was  brought 
against  the  Old  Assembly  by  the  New  in 
the  Supreme  Court  for  the  eastern  district 
of  Pennsylvania.  The  verdict  was  in  favor 
of  the  New  School.  An  appeal  to  the 
Supreme  Court  in  banc  resulted  in  an  order 
for  a  new  trial — which  however  never  was 
had.  Each  Church  retained  the  property 
within  its  bounds.  The  lines  of  division 
now  ran  through  all  parts  of  the  Church. 
In  Kentucky  there  was  long  debate  and  only 
a  small  company  of  ministers  and,  at  the 
first,  only  one  church  united  with  the  New 
School  Assembly.    In  Missouri  an  independ- 


194  The  Presbyterians 

ent  Synod  was  formed  which,  however, 
after  a  few  years  joined  the  New  School 
Assembly.  The  Synods  of  Michigan  and 
Tennessee  adhered  to  the  New  School 
Assembly  from  the  first.  The  Synod  of 
Indiana,  divided  easily  on  a  principle  of 
elective  affmity.  In  Ohio  the  New  School 
Assembly  was  formed  by  fifty-five  mem- 
bers who  had  withdrawn  from  the  Old 
School  Assembly.  In  New  York,  Illinois, 
New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania  and  other  states, 
the  division  was  recognized  as  an  accom- 
plished fact  and  the  minority  on  which- 
ever side  it  might  be  withdrew  and  formed 
a  new  body.  All  thought  of  reunion  was 
now  given  up  and  the  two  bodies  ad- 
dressed themselves  with  energy  to  their  re- 
spective tasks. 

But  the  years  immediately  preceding  and 
following  division  were  years  of  lessened 
power.  The  activity  which  in  the  early 
decades  of  the  century  had  been  expended 
on    missionary   lines   was    now    put    into 


The  Division  of  1837         195 

ecclesiastical  debate  and  action.  After  the 
division  churches  as  well  as  Synods  and 
Presbyteries  were  rent  asunder.  Weak 
churches  were  formed  by  small  bands 
seceding  from  the  parent  organization  and 
alienations  created  which  a  generation 
would  not  remove. 

The  two  denominations  (for  such  they 
had  now  become)  went  on  with  their  work 
but  not  without  difficulty  in  adjusting 
themselves  to  their  new  conditions.  Thus 
the  New  Assembly  soon  found  itself  in 
trouble  in  its  missionary  and  educational 
work  because  of  its  alliance  with  Congrega- 
tional churches  and  methods.  The  Home 
Missionary  Society  was  governed  by  rules 
which  made  it  far  easier  for  Congregational 
churches  to  avail  themselves  of  its  aid  than 
for  Presbyterian  churches.  The  Church 
had  given  her  missionary  money  to  the 
Home  Missionary  Society.  Much  of  it  went 
to  build  up  Congregational  churches.  After 
years  of  fruitless  conference  in   1852  the 


196  The  Presbyterians 

Assembly  appointed  the  Church  Extension 
Committee  into  whose  hands  the  home 
mission  work  gradually  drifted.  So  that  in 
1861  the  Assembly  formally  assumed  the 
responsibility  of  conducting  home  mission 
work  within  its  bounds. 

The  necessity  of  a  society  for  ministerial 
education  also  pressed  on  the  Church  and 
in  1856  such  a  society  was  appointed  by 
the  Assembly  and  located  in  New  York. 
About  the  same  time  a  publication  com- 
mittee was  constituted  to  **  publish  such 
works  of  an  evangelical  character  as  may 
be  profitable  to  the  Church." 

The  Old  School  branch  of  the  Church  did 
not  need  reorganization.  Well  equipped 
with  the  machinery  for  aggressive  work  it 
made  rapid  progress.  The  South  and 
Southwest  presented  inviting  missionary 
fields  which  were  energetically  occupied. 
The  opening  West  and  Northwest  also 
furnished  fruitful  fields  for  church  exten- 
sion.    Its  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  grew 


The  Division  of  1837         197 

in  strength  and  reached  to  foreign  lands  in 
many  directions.  It  would  have  been  for 
both  branches  of  the  Church  a  time  of 
signal  prosperity  but  for  a  storm  of  vast 
proportions  long  heralded  and  now  be- 
ginning to  envelope  the  entire  nation. 
This  storm's  effect  on  the  life  and  work  of 
the  Church  will  occupy  the  pages  of  the 
next  chapter. 


CHAPTER  X 

THE  CIVIL  WAR   AND   ITS  RESULTS 

From  1840  the  antislavery  sentiment  of 
the  country  developed  rapidly.  At  the  same 
time  the  struggle  of  slavery  to  maintain  its 
position  was  intense  to  desperation.  As 
early  as  1837  a  Presbyterian  minister,  the 
Rev.  Elijah  P.  Lovejoy,  because  he  dared  to 
publish  articles  against  slavery,  was  set  upon 
by  a  mob  at  Alton,  111.,  and  slain.  Another 
Presbyterian,  James  G.  Birnie,  of  Alabama, 
emancipated  his  slaves,  and  coming  North 
to  give  his  life  to  the  cause,  became  in  1840 
and  1844  the  first  antislavery  candidate 
for  President.  Dr.  David  Nelson,  another 
southern  abolitionist,  narrowly  escaped  mob 
violence  because  of  his  bold  declarations  as 
to  the  sinfulness  of  slavery. 

The  Rev.  Albert  Barnes  was  one  of  the 

most  courageous  and,  because  of  his  mod- 
198 


The  Civil  War  and  Its  Results   199 

eration,  one  of  the  most  influential  of  the 
antislavery  men  of  the  times.  He  de- 
nounced the  spirit  and  methods  of  many  of 
the  abolitionists  while  at  the  same  time  un- 
sparingly denouncing  the  system.  He  was, 
however,  bolder  than  many  of  his  brethren. 
The  Assemblies  following  the  division  felt 
the  effect  of  the  inflamed  state  of  the  South. 
As  already  quoted,  the  Church  had  in  1818 
put  herself  on  record  without  wavering  as 
the  foe  of  a  system  which  it  declared  a 
*'blot  on  our  holy  religion."  But  it  was 
not  again  affirmed  by  either  Assembly  until 
after  the  War  had  broken  out.  Some  of  the 
southern  church  courts  flatly  contradicted 
it.  The  Presbytery  of  Harmony,  S.  C,  re- 
solved in  1836,  ''that  the  existence  of 
slavery  is  not  opposed  to  the  will  of  God." 
The  Synod  of  Virginia  said,  "The  General 
Assembly  had  no  right  to  declare  that  rela- 
tion sinful  which  Christ  and  his  apostles 
teach  to  be  consistent  with  the  most  unques- 
tionable piety."    Thus,  while  the  churches 


200  The  Presbyterians 

from  a  mistaken  policy  became  silent,  the 
evils  of  slavery  grew  to  such  proportions  as 
to  challenge  the  condemnation  of  Christians 
all  over  the  world.  The  New  School  As- 
sembly was  the  more  positive  in  its  declara- 
tions and  in  1853  called  on  the  churches  un- 
der its  care  in  the  South  to  make  report  of 
what  had  been  done  to  purge  the  Church  of 
this  great  evil.  One  of  its  Presbyteries,  that 
of  Lexington  in  Kentucky,  replied  that  its 
ministers  and  members  were  slave  holders 
by  choice  and  on  principle.  The  Assembly 
had  no  alternative  but  to  condemn  a  state- 
ment so  out  of  harmony  with  the  history  of 
the  Church  and  as  a  consequence  the  entire 
contingent  of  the  Assembly  in  the  South 
withdrew.  Six  Synods  and  twenty-one 
Presbyteries  formed  the  united  Synod  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church.  They  sought  admis- 
sion to  the  Old  School  Assembly,  but  only 
on  condition  that  that  Assembly  disapprove 
of  the  exscinding  act  of  1837.  This  the  As- 
sembly refused  to  do. 


The  Civil  War  and  Its  Results  201 

The  Old  School  Assembly  in  order  to  pre- 
serve the  unity  of  the  Church  declined  some- 
what from  the  strenuous  position  it  had 
taken  in  1818  to  an  attitude  of  condemna- 
tion of  certain  evils  connected  with  slavery. 
It  no  longer  attacked  the  institution  itself. 
Indeed  it  could  not  have  done  so  and  have 
kept  the  southern  churches.  The  result  of 
its  compromises,  however,  as  of  compro- 
mises generally  was  that  it  lost  its  hold 
somewhat  on  both  sections  of  the  country. 
The  South  was  offended  to  have  action  taken 
like  that  of  1845  condemning  the  slave  laws 
of  some  of  the  states;  or  that  of  1849  i" 
which  the  Assembly  refused  to  countenance 
the  "traffic  in  slaves  for  the  sake  of  gain." 
On  the  other  hand  a  continually  increasing 
number  in  the  northern  states  were  not  con- 
tent with  the  mild  and,  as  they  regarded  it, 
tampering  action  of  the  Church.  In  illustra- 
tion, in  1849  the  Presbytery  of  Chillicothe  in 
Ohio  asked  the  Assembly  to  declare  slavery 
a  sin  and  to  enjoin  the  lower  courts  to  make 


202  The  Presbyterians 

it  a  ground  of  church  discipline.  The  As- 
sembly voted  that  it  was  "inexpedient  or 
improper  for  it  to  attempt  or  propose  meas- 
ures of  emancipation."  Thus  the  Church 
with  the  nation  was  drifting  toward  a  rock. 
Feelings  were  becoming  intense — lines  were 
sharply  drawn.  The  irrepressible  conflict 
was  on.  Though  the  Church  maintained 
its  unity  until  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil 
War  the  years  immediately  preceding  were 
times  of  acrimonious  debate  in  church 
courts  and  of  anxiety,  suspicion  and  aliena- 
tion between  the  churches  north  and  south. 
At  last  the  storm  broke.  Compromises 
in  state  and  Church  were  at  an  end.  On 
the  seventeenth  of  April,  1861,  the  first  gun 
was  fired  on  Ft.  Sumpter.  The  appeal  was 
removed  from  the  forum  to  the  field.  The 
Old  School  Assembly  met  in  Philadelphia 
one  month  after  the  attack  on  Sumpter. 
Eight  states  had  already  seceded.  It  was 
not  possible  to  keep  the  national  question 
out  of  church  courts.     The  border  states 


The  Civil  War  and  Its  Results  203 

were  hesitating.  It  is  said  Lincoln  desired 
the  General  Assembly  to  give  an  expression 
of  loyalty  to  the  general  government  that 
would  strengthen  the  hands  of  the  adminis- 
tration in  its  efforts  to  prevent  the  secession 
of  Maryland,  Kentucky,  Tennessee  and  Mis- 
souri. A  few  commissioners  were  present 
from  states  already  in  the  Confederacy. 
They  made  every  effort  to  prevent  action  in 
the  hope  that  the  bonds  which  held  the 
Church  together  might  survive  the  sunder- 
ing of  national  ties.  They  were  not  with- 
out friends  in  the  North  who  sympathized 
with  this  hope.  They  were  for  the  most 
part  the  leading  spirits  of  the  Assembly. 
There  was,  however,  one  leader  who  in  this 
crisis  came  forward  to  champion  the  cause 
of  the  majority  in  carrying  the  Assembly  to 
an  expression  of  loyalty  to  the  Union.  That 
man  was  Gardiner  Spring,  the  venerable 
pastor  of  the  Brick  Church  in  New  York. 
By  temperament  and  conviction  he  was  a 
conservative.    An  antislavery  man,  he  had 


204  The  Presbyterians 

been  pronounced  in  his  condemnation  of 
abolitionists.  He  had  joined  other  con- 
servatives in  an  appeal  to  ministers  of  the 
South,  after  South  Carolina  had  seceded, 
inviting  to  united  prayer  that  war  might 
yet  be  averted.  But  when  secession  was 
an  accomplished  fact  with  characteristic 
courage  he  led  in  the  movement  for  a  quick 
declaration  of  loyalty.  After  various  prop- 
ositions had  failed  he  offered  the  famous 
"Spring  Resolutions."  They  committed 
the  Church  to  "obligations  to  promote  and 
perpetuate— so  far  as  in  us  lies — the  integ- 
rity of  these  United  States  and  to  strengthen, 
uphold  and  encourage  the  Federal  Govern- 
ment in  the  exercise  of  all  its  functions 
under  our  noble  constitution  and  to  this 
constitution  in  all  its  provisions,  require- 
ments and  principles  we  profess  our  un- 
abated loyalty."  After  two  days  of  debate 
it  was  referred  to  a  committee  of  nine  who 
reported  by  a  majority  of  eight  to  one  that 
no  action  was  necessary.     Dr.  William  C. 


The  Civil  War  and  Its  Results  205 

Anderson  of  San  Francisco  stood  alone  on 
that  committee  for  prompt  and  decided  ac- 
tion. He  reported  the  resolutions  to  the 
Assembly  and  urged  their  adoption.  The 
Assembly  adopted  them  by  a  vote  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty-six  to  sixty-six.  The 
passions  of  the  time  may  be  judged  by 
the  fact  that  these  resolutions  were  criti- 
cized as  feeble  and  indecisive.  But  their 
restrained  dignity  was  of  far  more  help 
to  the  government  than  any  violent  out- 
burst could  possibly  have  been.  More 
than  any  other  public  declaration  of  the 
day  it  was  influential  in  holding  the  border 
states  to  the  Union.  Dr.  Charles  Hodge  and 
fifty-seven  others  entered  protest  against 
this  action — not  from  any  lack  of  loyalty  to 
the  government — but  solely  because  they 
believed  it  beyond  the  province  of  an  ec- 
clesiastical court  to  decide  in  a  disputed 
political  question.  That  question  was 
whether  states  had  a  right  under  the  con- 
stitution peaceably  to  secede.    That  question 


2o6  The  Presbyterians 

was  left  undecided  in  1789  when  the  con- 
stitution was  adopted  on  purpose  that  some 
states,  which  were  hesitating  to  enter  the 
national  compact,  might  be  encouraged  to 
do  so  with  a  possible  door  for  peaceable 
withdrawal  open  to  them.  Why  then 
should  a  church  court  decide  on  that  ques- 
tion ?  This  was  the  contention  of  the  prot- 
estants  and  from  their  point  of  view  it  had 
logical  cogency.  But  all  such  academic 
considerations  were  brushed  aside  by  an 
Assembly  sitting  at  the  very  time  when  the 
peaceful  nation  suddenly  became  an  armed 
camp  and  which  could  not  help  catching 
the  patriotic  fire  which  swept  over  the  land. 
The  going  out  of  the  southern  churches 
followed  as  a  matter  of  course.  A  conven- 
tion was  held  in  Augusta,  Ga.,  in  August, 
1861,  at  which  commissioners  from  ten 
Synods  embracing  forty-seven  Presbyteries 
constituted  the  first  General  Assembly  of 
**The  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  Confed- 
erate States  of  America."     Dr.  Benjamin  M, 


The  Civil  War  and  Its  Results  207 

Palmer  of  New  Orleans  who  was  an  advo- 
cate of  secession  from  the  first  was  fitly 
chosen  moderator.  It  was  frequently  said 
at  the  time  that  the  Spring  Resolutions  cut 
the  ties  between  northern  and  southern  As- 
semblies. This  was  not  true.  The  War 
brought  on  the  division  of  every  Protestant 
body.  The  attitude  of  the  Southern  As- 
sembly was  manifest  when  at  its  first  meet- 
ing it  declared:  "It  is  desirable  that  each 
nation  should  have  a  separate  and  inde- 
pendent Church  and  the  Presbyteries  of  the 
Confederate  states  need  no  apology  for 
bowing  to  the  decree  of  Providence  which 
in  withdrawing  their  country  from  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  United  States  has  at  the 
same  time  determined  that  they  should 
withdraw  from  the  Church  of  their  fathers." 
The  vital  relation  of  slavery  and  secession 
alike  in  Church  and  state  is  illustrated  by 
the  action  of  the  Southern  Assembly  in 
1864  in  which  they  say,  "The  long  con- 
tinued agitations  of  our   adversaries   have 


2o8  The  Presbyterians 

wrought  within  us  a  deeper  conviction  of 
the  divine  appointment  of  domestic  servi- 
tude and  have  led  to  a  clearer  comprehen- 
sion of  the  duty  we  owe  to  the  African 
race.  We  hesitate  not  to  affirm  that  it  is 
the  peculiar  mission  of  the  Southern  Church 
to  conserve  the  institution  of  slavery  and  to 
make  it  a  blessing  to  both  master  and 
slave." 

In  1864  the  Southern  Church  received 
the  United  Synod  which  had  seceded  from 
the  New  School  Church  on  account  of  its 
"political  deliverances." 

The  work  of  the  Presbyterian  churches 
north  and  south  was  of  course  much  hin- 
dered by  the  War — more  however  in  the 
South  than  in  the  North.  At  the  close  of 
the  war  the  Southern  Church  changed  its 
corporate  title  to  that  of  **  The  Presbyterian 
Church  in  the  United  States." 

The  Church  which  had  lost  so  heavily 
was  now  however  strengthened  by  acces- 
sions from   the  border  states.     It  was   in 


The  Civil  War  and  Its  Results  209 

„  these  states  that  the  result  of  the  War 
brought  the  most  trouble  to  the  churches. 
Dr.  Samuel  R.  Wilson,  in  1865,  drafted  a 
"Declaration  and  Testimony"  protesting 
against  all  the  deliverances  of  the  Old 
School  Assembly  during  and  in  relation  to 
the  war  and  against  the  decisions  of  the 
two  preceding  Assemblies  on  slavery  and 
loyalty.  Fifty-four  ministers  and  one  hun- 
dred and  seventy-three  ruling  elders,  chiefly 
in  the  border  states,  signed  this  document. 
It  became  the  occasion  for  disputes  and 
divisions  running  through  years.  The  As- 
sembly of  1866  condemned  the  document 
as  "a  slander  on  the  Church,  schismatical 
in  character  and  aims  ";  called  its  signers  to 
the  bar  of  the  next  Assembly  ;  excluded 
them  meantime  from  all  church  courts,  and 
declared  any  Presbytery  dissolved  that 
should  enroll  them  in  its  membership. 
This  heroic  action  was  called  "The  Gurley 
Order  "  and  passed  the  Assembly  by  a  vote 
of  one  hundred  and  ninety-six  to  thirty- 


210  The  Presbyterians 

seven.  If  there  had  been  hopes  of  com- 
promise and  harmony  this  ended  them. 
The  Synods  of  Kentucky  and  Missouri 
were  cut  off  from  the  Assembly  and  suits 
for  church  property  on  the  one  side  or  the 
other  were  promptly  instituted.  As  was  to 
be  expected,  the  courts  of  the  state  decided 
against  the  Assembly.  Carried  to  the  su- 
preme court  of  the  United  States  the  de- 
cision was  reversed  and  the  property  went 
into  the  hands  of  the  General  Assembly. 

It  cannot  be  doubted  that  party  passions 
gave  an  unjustifiable  rigor  to  the  acts  both 
of  Synod  and  General  Assembly  in  the 
years  following  the  war.  Allowance  was 
not  made  for  differences  in  point  of  view 
and  divisions  were  caused  which  a  gentler 
and  more  judicial  temper  would  probably 
have  avoided.  The  breach  between  Pres- 
byteries and  Assembly  in  Kentucky  was 
made  final  in  1868  when  they  united  with 
the  Southern  Assembly.  The  Synod  of 
Missouri  maintained  an  independent  posi- 


The  Civil  War  and  Its  Results  211 

tion  till  1874  when  it  too  joined  the  South- 
ern Church.  Other  accessions  to  that 
Church  were  the  Associate  Reformed  Pres- 
bytery of  Alabama  in  1867  and  of  Kentucky 
in  1870. 


CHAPTER  XI 

REUNION 

No  sooner  had  the  War  made  separation 
between  northern  and  southern  Presbyteri- 
ans final  and  complete  than  there  appeared 
among  the  churches  of  the  North  a  desire 
for  closer  fellowship.  Indeed  during  the 
War  several  attempts  at  union  were  made 
by  the  Old  and  New  School  Assemblies. 

In  1862  on  suggestion  of  the  Old  School 
Assembly  a  friendly  interchange  of  com- 
missioners was  arranged  between  them. 
The  next  step  came  in  1864  when  the  Old 
School  body  proposed  a  conference  looking 
to  reunion.  In  1866,  both  Assemblies  were 
in  session  in  St.  Louis.  The  general  desire 
for  reunion  was  expressed  by  the  fact  that 
many  Presbyterians  from  both  bodies  had 

taken  steps  in    that    direction.    The    Old 
212 


Reunion  213 

School  Assembly  in  session  in  the  Second 
Presbyterian  church  proposed  to  the  New 
School,  which  was  meeting  in  the  First 
church,  a  joint  committee  of  nine  ministers 
and  six  ruling  elders  from  each  body  to 
discuss  the  question  of  union.  In  this  pro- 
posal the  Assembly  voiced  an  ''earnest  de- 
sire for  reunion  at  the  earliest  time  con- 
sistent with  agreement  in  doctrine,  order 
and  polity  on  the  basis  of  our  common 
standards  and  the  prevalence  of  mutual  love 
and  confidence."  To  this  proposal  the 
New  School  gave  unanimous  assent.  The 
report  of  this  committee  in  1867  recom- 
mended "reunion  on  the  doctrinal  and 
ecclesiastical  basis  of  the  common  Stand- 
ards," the  Confession  of  Faith  to  be  re- 
ceived "in  its  fair  historical  sense."  Dr. 
Hodge  attacked  this  plan  in  The  Princeton 
Review  declaring  that  the  New  School 
church  did  not  accept  all  the  doctrines  of 
the  Calvinistic  system. 

Pending  the  debate  on  the  plan  proposed 


214  The  Presbyterians 

at  the  call  of  the  Reformed  Presbyterian 
General  Synod  and  through  the  influence  of 
the  broad-minded  George  H.  Stuart  a  con- 
vention of  all  Presbyterian  churches  was 
called  to  consider  the  question  of  a  union 
not  merely  of  Old  and  New  School  but  of 
all  the  various  branches  of  the  Presbyterian 
family.  It  was  held  in  the  First  Reformed 
Presbyterian  church  of  Philadelphia,  No- 
vember 8,  1867.  Delegates  were  present 
from  all  the  Presbyterian  bodies.  The 
deliberations  which  were  characterized  by 
the  utmost  harmony  crystallized  in  the 
adoption  of  a  proposition  that  **in  the 
United  Church  the  Westminster  Confession 
of  Faith  should  be  received  and  adopted  as 
containing  the  system  of  doctrine  taught  in 
the  Holy  Scripture."  While  this  convention 
made  little  progress  toward  the  end  for 
which  it  was  called  it  served  to  clear  the  air. 
When  the  New  School  delegates  adopted 
this  declaration  almost  unanimously  the 
objections  to  a  reunion  which  many  Old 


Reunion  215 

School  men  had  felt  were  sensibly  weak- 
ened. But  as  the  sentiment  in  favor  of  the 
main  object  grew  in  intensity  throughout 
both  Churches  the  difficulties  in  the  way  of 
actual  union  seemed  to  increase.  Debate 
went  on.  One  proposition  after  another 
was  presented  only  to  be  discarded  or  with- 
drawn. The  Assemblies  of  1869  met  in 
New  York.  During  the  year  preceding 
there  had  been  much  debate  and  criticism, 
often  sharp  and  unfriendly.  There  was 
less  reunion  enthusiasm  and  the  end  for 
which  so  many  earnest  souls  were  longing 
seemed  in  imminent  jeopardy.  But  Provi- 
dence was  guiding.  From  the  very  first 
meeting  the  question  of  reunion  constantly 
recurred.  A  new  committee  of  conference 
was  appointed.  To  it  was  referred  the 
report  of  the  Joint  Committee  and  all  pre- 
vious actions.  No  stronger  committee  could 
have  been  named.  On  the  part  of  the  Old 
School  were  Drs.  Musgrave,  Hall,  Atwater, 
Lord  and  Wilson  with  ruling  elders  Drake, 


2l6  The  Presbyterians 

Francis,  Carter,  Grier  and  Day.  On  the 
New  School  side  were  Drs.  Adams,  Stearns, 
Patterson,  Fisher,  and  Shaw  with  elders 
Strong,  Haines,  Dodge,  Ferrand  and  Knight. 
This  committee,  steering  clear  of  all  tech- 
nical statements  and  explanations  proposed 
reunion  on  the  basis  of  the  Standards  alone, 
"each  recognizing  the  other  as  a  sound  and 
orthodox  body  according  to  the  principles 
of  the  Confession  common  to  both."  The 
right  basis  was  struck.  Mutual  confidence 
must  be  the  corner-stone  of  that  building. 
This  simple  plan  was  heartily  adopted, — , 
unanimously  by  the  New  School  and  by  a 
vote  of  two  hundred  and  eighty-five  to  nine 
in  the  Old  School  body.  The  votes  in  the 
Presbyteries  confirming  this  action  were  in 
about  the  same  proportion.  Both  bodies 
were  so  sure  of  favorable  action  on  the 
overtures  sent  down  to  the  Presbyteries 
that  they  agreed  both  Assemblies  should 
meet  in  Pittsburg  in  November  to  consider 
the  result,— the  Old  School  Assembly  in  the 


Reunion  217 

First  church — the  New  School  in  the  Third 
church.  A  canvass  of  votes  showed  that 
the  Old  School  Presbyteries  had  declared 
for  reunion  with  but  three  dissenting  votes. 
In  the  New  School  body  the  vote  was 
unanimous.  At  ten  o'clock  on  Friday 
morning,  November  12th,  1869,  each  As- 
sembly notified  the  other  of  the  action  of 
the  Presbyteries.  Each  body  formally  de- 
clared the  Basis  of  Union  of  binding  force 
and  voted  its  own  dissolution  calling  the 
United  Assembly  to  meet  in  the  First 
church  of  Philadelphia  in  1870.  But  an 
adjournment  could  not  be  had  without  an 
expression  of  the  joy  that  filled  all  hearts. 
The  exercises  attending  these  meetings 
were  of  the  most  impressive  character. 
After  the  business  had  been  transacted  the 
two  bodies  met  in  front  of  the  First  church 
and  marched  up  Sixth  Avenue  in  a  body  to 
the  Third  church  where  a  great  ratification 
meeting  was  held.  As  the  head  of  the 
column  led  by  the  two  moderators,  Drs. 


2i8  The  Presbyterians  ^ 

Jacobus  and  Fowler  arm  in  arm,  entered 
the  noble  edifice,  the  great  waiting  audience 
sprang  to  its  feet  and  broke  forth  in  the 
doxology — 

"  Praise  God  from  whom  all  blessings  flow." 

The  two  moderators  made  appropriate  ad- 
dresses and  then  clasped  hands.  Dr.  David 
Elliot,  who  was  moderator  at  the  time  of  the 
division  in  1837,  was  on  the  platform.  Dr. 
Jacobus  in  the  metaphor  of  a  marriage,  ad- 
dressing the  venerable  Dr.  Elliot  said,  ''If 
there  be  any  person  present  who  knows  of 
any  just  and  sufficient  reason  why  these 
parties  may  not  be  lawfully  united  let  him 
speak  or  ever  after  hold  his  peace."  Dr. 
Elliot  replied,  "I  know  of  none."  George 
H.  Stuart,  an  enthusiastic  spectator,  ex- 
claimed, "What  God  hath  joined  together 
let  not  man  put  asunder."  Dr.  Jacobus 
added,  "In  the  name  of  God,  Amen." 
"  Amens"  arose  all  over  the  house,  and  so 
amid  signals  of  joy  and  tears  of  rejoicing 


Reunion  2 1 9 

the  work  was  done.  Thus  after  thirty  years 
of  division  the  Church  which  never  should 
have  divided  was  most  happily  united. 

The  United  Assembly  met  in  1870  in 
Albert  Barnes'  church  in  Philadelphia. 
Thirty-four  Synods  were  constituted.  The 
machinery  of  the  Church  was  speedily  re- 
arranged. The  New  School  body  had 
found  in  the  years  of  division  that  volun- 
tary societies  in  which  different  denomina- 
tions were  allied  were  not  the  most  effective 
forms  of  church  progress.  They  readily 
consented  to  the  organization  of  Boards 
under  the  control  of  the  Assembly.  They 
withdrew  from  the  American  Board,  divid- 
ing the  mission  fields  with  that  noble 
agency  and  united  in  the  support  of  the 
Presbyterian  Board  of  Foreign  Missions 
with  headquarters  in  New  York.  The 
Boards  of  Home  Missions  and  Publication 
were  consolidated  and  the  former  located 
in  New  York — the  latter  in  Philadelphia. 

One  of  the  measures  provided  for  by  the 


220  The  Presbyterians 

reunion  was  a  memorial  Thanksgiving  Fund 
for  the  enlargement  of  the  work  of  the 
Church.  Under  the  enthusiastic  leadership 
of  the  secretary  of  this  fund,  Dr.  F.  F. 
Ellinwood,  it  amounted  to  $7,607,491. 

Thus  the  Church  entered  on  an  era  of 
expansion.  The  times  were  favorable  for 
it.  A  practical  spirit  took  possession  of 
the  Church.  Theological  discussions  were 
largely  retired.  The  religious  needs  of  the 
world  at  home  and  abroad  loomed  up  large 
and  commanding.  The  main  question  now 
before  the  Church  was  what  could  she  do 
to  meet  the  moral  and  spiritual  demands  of 
the  times.  The  result  was  a  great  revival 
of  practical  Christianity.  It  found  expres- 
sion in  new  organizations  and  in  the  new 
spirit  with  which  approved  organizations 
were  pushed. 

Home  missions  engaged  the  attention  of 
the  Church  as  perhaps  never  before.  There 
was  not  more  missionary  enthusiasm  than 
at  the  beginning  of  the  century  when  the 


Reunion  22 1 

West  was  first  opened  to  emigration.  But 
to  the  entiiusiasm  was  added  a  capacity  un- 
known before.  The  Board  of  Home  Mis- 
sions which  had  long  been  an  effective 
agency  now  put  forth  new  power.  Dr. 
Henry  Kendall  at  the  reunion  was  made 
Secretary  of  the  United  Board.  Dr.  Cyrus 
Dickson  was  associated  with  him.  They 
nobly  supplemented  each  other.  Dr.  Kendall 
was  a  man  with  large  views  and  the  grasp 
of  a  statesman.  Dr.  Dickson  was  an  orator 
with  rare  power  to  arouse  the  Church  to 
her  duty.  Together  they  carried  on  a  great 
campaign.  Wherever  new  communities 
gathered  there  the  Presbyterian  missionary 
was  on  hand  to  preach  the  gospel  and 
establish  Christian  institutions. 

The  two  decades  following  reunion  wit- 
nessed a  tremendous  westward  movement. 
New  cities  sprang  up  as  by  magic,  from  the 
lakes  to  the  mountains.  New  states  put 
forth  commercial  and  political  power.  The 
glory  of  those  decades  was  in  the  fact  that 


222  The  Presbyterians 

the  Christian  Church  kept  pace  with  the 
national  growth  and  the  Presbyterian 
Church  by  her  enterprise  and  devotion 
honored  the  best  periods  of  her  history. 
Thus  in  1869  nine  young  men  from  one 
of  the  seminaries  consecrated  themselves 
to  the  work  of  home  missions.  They 
found  their  field  in  Kansas  and  were  called 
"The  Kansas  Band."  The  Synod  of 
Kansas  was  the  result  of  their  labors.  The 
man  who  was  the  guide  and  bishop  of 
these  young  men  and  of  a  hundred  others 
who  within  the  next  twenty  years  went  into 
Kansas  was  the  Rev.  Timothy  Hill,  D.  D., 
a  pioneer  and  missionary  superintendent 
of  rare  tact,  devotion  and  power.  Nearly 
three  hundred  churches  organized  by  him 
or  through  his  influence  in  Kansas  and  the 
Indian  Territory  are  his  monument.  He 
was  one  of  many.  Men  like  Daniel  Baker 
of  Texas,  Henry  Little  of  Indiana,  A.  T. 
Norton  of  Illinois,  B.  G.  Riley,  Matthew 
Fox  and  others  of  Wisconsin,  and  David  C. 


Reunion  223 

Lyon  of  Minnesota,  laid  foundations  on 
which  generations  to  come  will  build  for 
the  strength  and  glory  of  the  Church. 

All  the  other  benevolent  agencies  of  the 
Church  were  pressed  with  vigor.  In  foreign 
missions  there  was  notable  advance.  A  new 
impetus  was  given  to  the  purpose  to  preach 
the  gospel  to  every  creature  and  the  daring 
thought  began  to  come  over  the  Church 
that  it  was  possible  to  sound  the  glad 
tidings  to  all  the  people  of  the  earth 
within  a  single  generation.  New  stations 
were  opened  in  many  lands  and  new  enthu- 
siasm was  aroused  throughout  the  Church 
at  home. 

Presbyteries  were  now  beginning  to  plan 
for  a  world  campaign  in  which  all  branches 
of  the  Church  might  unite.  Soon  after  the 
reunion  of  the  Old  and  New  School 
Churches  a  movement  was  inaugurated  by 
Dr.  James  McCosh,  President  of  Princeton 
College,  to  secure  more  intimate  and  co- 
operative relations  among  Presbyterians  of 


224  The  Presbyterians 

every  name  and  in  every  country.  It  was 
in  1876  that  the  "Alliance  of  the  Reformed 
Churches  throughout  the  world  holding  the 
Presbyterian  system  "  was  formed.  "The 
objects  of  the  Alliance  are  chiefly  the  crea- 
tion of  a  spirit  of  fraternity  among  brethren 
of  like  mind  and  the  advancement  of  the 
great  cause  of  missions."  It  holds  quadren- 
nial meetings  which  are  called  ''General 
Councils,"  having  only  advisory  powers. 
It  embraces  about  sixty  divisions  of  the 
great  Reformed  family.  By  it  all  branches 
of  the  Church  are  brought  into  communica- 
tion with  one  another.  While  so  far  little 
more  than  friendly  interchanges  of  thought 
have  marked  the  conventions,  it  is  hoped 
that  at  some  time  not  far  away  they  may  be 
the  means  of  more  closely  federating  the 
families  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  for  or- 
ganized and  joint  endeavors  in  missionary 
work  if  not  for  actual  ecclesiastical  union. 
That  it  has  already  stimulated  a  desire  for 
closer  bonds  between  the  divided  members 


Reunion  225 

of   the  Presbyterian   household  cannot  be 
doubted. 

At  different  times  committees  of  northern 
and  southern  churches  have  been  in  confer- 
ence in  regard  to  a  union.  That  which  oc- 
casioned the  division  was  however  too  fully 
in  memory  to  allow  of  any  decisive  prog- 
ress. When  the  Centennial  Assembly  of 
the  Northern  Church  met  in  May,  1888,  the 
Southern  Assembly  went  from  Baltimore  to 
Philadelphia  to  join  in  the  celebration  and 
give  eloquent  expression  to  feelings  of  fra- 
ternity and  good-will.  But  nothing  more 
came  of  it.  And  as  indicating  some  reac- 
tion from  the  brotherly  interchanges  of 
other  years  the  Southern  Assembly  of  1894 
refused  to  appoint  a  committee  to  confer 
again  on  the  question  of  a  reunion  of  the 
two  Assemblies.  There  the  matter  rests 
for  the  present.  The  Northern  Assembly 
has  repeatedly  manifested  its  willingness  to 
unite  with  the  Southern  Church  on  the  basis 
of  the  Standards  common  to  both  and  in 


226  The  Presbyterians 

brotherly  oblivion  of  the  past.  The  South- 
ern Assembly,  however,  has  not  yet  been 
convinced  of  the  orthodoxy  of  their  breth- 
ren. On  that  account,  and  perhaps  also  be- 
cause of  unrepealed  action  by  the  Northern 
Church  during  and  in  regard  to  the  War, 
they  are  of  the  opinion  that  the  two  bodies 
must  work  out  their  separate  destiny  and 
with  good-will  toward  each  other  do  their 
individual  work.  But  time  is  a  great  healer. 
The  real  causes  of  the  division  have  passed 
away.  These  two  great  bodies  belong  to- 
gether historically  and  by  their  message  and 
their  mission.  They  will  yet  be  reunited. 
There  will  also  be  other  unions  with  smaller 
Presbyterian  bodies  and  there  will  yet  be  a 
National  Presbyterian  Church. 


CHAPTER  XII 

HERESY   TRIALS 

The  Presbyterian  Church  is  a  theological 
Church.  It  has  a  definite  creed— loyalty  to 
which  it  exacts  from  all  its  office  bearers. 
That  creed  is  expressed  in  the  Westminster 
Confession  of  Faith  and  the  Larger  and 
Shorter  Catechisms.  This  does  not  mean 
that  every  minister  or  ruling  elder  is  to  sub- 
scribe to  every  statement  in  these  Standards 
but  that  he  accepts  the  system  of  doctrine 
therein  taught.  The  Reunion  of  Old  and 
New  School  Churches  was  effected  on  the 
basis  of  these  Standards  alone.  The  period 
since  the  reunion  has  been  marked  by  a 
number  of  ecclesiastical  trials  to  test  the 
orthodoxy  of  Presbyterian  ministers.  The 
first  of  these  was  the  trial  in  1874  of  Prof. 
David  Swing,  pastor  of  the  Fourth  Presby- 
terian Church  of  Chicago  on  charges  pre- 
227 


228  The  Presbyterians 

f erred  by  Rev.  Francis  L.  Patton,  D.  D.,  at 
that  time  professor  in  the  Theological  Semi- 
nary of  the  Northwest.  Professor  Swing 
had  a  poetic  mind,  not  accustomed  to  log- 
ical statements  but  to  pictorial  presentations 
of  truth.  Dr.  Patton  thought  he  detected 
in  certain  of  Professor  Swing's  sermons 
doctrines  inconsistent  with  the  Confession 
of  Faith.  Especially  did  he  regard  the  pro- 
fessor as  unsound  in  his  views  of  the  divin- 
ity of  Christ.  He  therefore  brought  charges 
against  him  before  the  Presbytery  of 
Chicago.  After  a  trial  lasting  six  weeks 
and  conducted  with  signal  ability  both  by 
the  prosecutor  and  by  Dr.  George  C.  Noyes, 
counsel  for  the  accused,  Professor  Swing 
was  acquitted.  An  appeal  to  Synod  fol- 
lowed, but  a  trial  there  was  obviated  by  the 
withdrawal  of  the  Professor  from  the  Pres- 
byterian Church.  The  unhappy  effects  of 
the  trial,  in  the  strained  feelings  between 
brethren  which  it  induced,  remained  for 
decades. 


Heresy  Trials  229 

In  the  last  decade  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury the  Higher  Criticism  entered  as  a  factor 
in  the  history  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 
The  term  is  used  to  designate  the  literary 
criticism  of  the  Bible  by  which  from  in- 
ternal and  external  evidence  an  effort  is 
made  to  fix  the  date,  authorship,  place  and 
purpose  of  the  various  writings  of  the  Bible 
and  also  to  determine  their  relation  to  each 
other.  The  Higher  Criticism  is  of  Dutch  and 
German  origin  and  has  unhappily  been  often 
used  to  discredit  in  part  or  in  whole  the 
books  which  it  examines.  While  there  is  a 
rationalistic  school  of  higher  critics  who  use 
this  method  to  assail  the  supernatural,  there 
is  nothing  in  the  method  itself  inconsistent 
with  evangelical  views  and  purpose.  All 
depends  on  the  spirit  in  which  it  is  pursued 
and  the  extent  to  which  it  is  carried. 

It  first  attracted  prominent  attention  in  the 
Presbyterian  Church  in  connection  with  the 
induction  of  Prof.  Charles  A.  Briggs,  D.  D., 
into  the  chair  of   "Biblical  Theology"  in 


230  The  Presbyterians 

Union  Theological  Seminary  in  New  York. 
Professor  Briggs  had  long  been  professor 
of  the  Hebrew  and  Cognate  languages  in 
which  he  had  distinguished  himself  as  a  pro- 
found scholar  and  an  enthusiastic  teacher. 
When  therefore  Dr.  Charles  Butler  endowed 
the  new  professorship  and  named  Doctor 
Briggs  as  incumbent  the  Church  expected 
large  results  in  Old  Testament  investiga- 
tion. In  his  inaugural  address  the  professor 
announced  with  additional  emphasis  the 
views  he  had  been  known  to  hold,  at  the 
same  time  maintaining  there  was  nothing 
in  them  inconsistent  with  his  ordination 
vows  as  a  Presbyterian  minister.  In  neither 
the  methods  nor  conclusions  of  his  critical 
studies  had  he  taken  any  position  that  was 
not  loyal  to  the  Bible  and  the  Confession  of 
Faith.  The  matter  of  the  address  was  taken 
up  by  the  Presbytery  of  New  York  and  in 
October,  1891,  the  Presbytery  required  the 
professor  to  answer  charges  tabled  against 
him    by    a   prosecuting    committee.      The 


Heresy  Trials  231 

Presbytery  dismissed  the  case  "without 
approving  of  the  positions  stated  in  his  in- 
augural address,"  but  earnestly  desiring  the 
peace  and  quiet  of  the  Church.  From  this 
decision  the  prosecuting  committee  ap- 
pealed to  the  General  Assembly.  Thirty- 
four  members  also  took  steps  to  bring  the 
case  before  the  Synod  of  New  York  by 
complaint.  The  Assembly  of  1892  without 
waiting  the  issue  of  the  complaint  by  the 
Synod  of  New  York  sustained  the  appeal 
of  the  prosecuting  committee.  The  case 
was  remanded  to  the  Presbytery  for  trial  on 
its  merits.  The  trial  occurred  in  November, 
1892.  There  were  four  main  charges— the 
chief  ones  being  (first)  that  the  accused 
denied  the  inerrancy  of  the  Bible  even  in 
the  original  documents,  and  (second)  that 
he  regarded  the  Scriptures,  the  Reason  and 
the  Church  as  of  coordinate  authority.  In 
his  response  he  squarely  denied  the  charge, 
asserting  that  while  the  Church  and  the 
Reason  were  authorities  they  were  not  in- 


232  The  Presbyterians 

fallible  and  that   **the  Scripture  was  the 
only  infallible  rule  of  faith  and  practice." 

The  Presbytery  again  acquitted  him  on 
all  the  charges,  though  this  time  by  a  re- 
duced majority.  A  second  appeal  to  the 
Assembly  was  had  by  the  prosecution  on 
the  ground  of  exceptions  to  the  conduct  of 
the  trial  in  Presbytery  and  also  on  the 
wrongfulness  of  the  verdict.  The  discus- 
sions had  by  this  time  so  agitated  the 
Church  that  special  efforts  were  made  in 
every  Presbytery  to  secure  commissioners 
on  the  line  of  this  one  question.  So  much 
alarm  had  been  excited  lest  the  foundations 
should  be  imperilled  that  the  choice  of  dele- 
gates to  the  Assembly  resulted  in  a  body  of 
unusual  conservatism.  The  Assembly  met 
in  Washington  and  ''the  Briggs  trial"  over- 
shadowed every  other  question.  The  judi- 
cial committee  by  a  divided  vote  recom- 
mended entertaining  the  appeal  and  the 
trial  proceeded.  After  both  parties  had 
been  fully  heard  and  also  members  of  the 


Heresy  Trials  233 

Presbytery  and  of  the  Assembly  the  vote 
was  taken  and  resulted  in  conviction  by  a 
vote  of  379  to  1 16.  A  committee  waited  on 
Professor  Briggs  to  ask  him  to  retract.  His 
reply  was  what  was  to  have  been  expected. 
He  maintained  his  loyalty  to  the  Scriptures 
and  the  Standards  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  and  had  therefore  nothing  to  re- 
tract. He  was  then  suspended  ''from  the 
office  of  a  minister  in  the  Presbyterian 
Church  until  such  time  as  he  shall  give 
satisfactory  evidence  of  repentance  to  the 
General  Assembly  for  the  violation  by  him 
of  his  ordination  vow." 

Dr.  Briggs  soon  thereafter  gave  relief 
to  the  Church  and  closed  farther  discussion 
of  his  case  by  taking  orders  in  the  Protes- 
tant Episcopal  Church.  He  retains  his  chair 
in  Union  Theological  Seminary. 

Another  trial  for  heresy  at  about  the  same 
time  was  that  of  Prof.  Henry  Preserved 
Smith  of  Lane  Theological  Seminary.  In 
1 89 1  a  paper  read  by  him  before  the  minis- 


234  The  Presbyterians 

terial  association  of  Cincinnati  became  a  sub- 
ject of  heated  controversy  in  the  Presbytery. 
It  was  not,  however,  till  eighteen  months 
later  that  the  Presbytery  took  judicial  notice 
of  the  alleged  errors  and  entered  on  trial. 
The  question  at  issue  was  similar  to  that  in 
the  case  of  Dr.  Briggs,  viz.,  the  inerrancy 
of  the  original  manuscript  of  the  Scriptures. 
Doctor  Smith  was  found  guilty  and  sus- 
pended from  the  ministry — until  he  should 
renounce  the  errors  alleged  against  him. 

The  Professor  appealed  to  the  Synod  of 
Ohio  which  sustained  the  lower  court.  The 
case  then  went  to  the  General  Assembly. 
It  was  the  year  following  that  in  which  the 
main  issue  had  been  decided  in  regard  to 
Professor  Briggs.  There  was  therefore  only 
one  thing  for  the  Assembly  to  do.  It  con- 
firmed the  sentence  of  the  Synod  and  Pres- 
bytery— not  however  until  after  a  confer- 
ence with  him  in  the  hope  that  explanations 
or  concessions  would  modify  the  action  of 
the  Assembly.     A  much  better  spirit  ruled 


Heresy  Trials  235 

the  court  than  that  which  appeared  in  the 
trial  of  Dr.  Briggs,  due  in  part  to  a  feeling 
already  coming  over  the  Church  that  trials 
for  heresy  were  of  doubtful  value  for  pre- 
serving the  peace  of  the  Church,  but  per- 
haps even  more  to  the  gracious,  broftherly 
and  modest  demeanor  of  the  accused  which 
won  high  regard  for  him  even  from  those 
who  entirely  differed  from  him. 

The  case  of  Prof.  A.  C.  McGiffert  of 
Union  Theological  Seminary  claimed  a  good 
deal  of  attention  from  the  General  Assembly 
between  1898  and  1900.  The  Professor  had 
published  a  volume  entitled  "  Christianity  in 
the  Apostolic  Age  "  in  which  positions  were 
taken  which  in  the  judgment  of  many  con- 
travened certain  essential  doctrines  of  the 
Confession  of  Faith.  The  attention  of  the 
Assembly  was  called  to  alleged  errors  in 
this  book  by  an  overture  from  the  Presby- 
tery of  Pittsburg.  The  Assembly  disap- 
proved of  the  utterances  of  Dr.  McGiffert, 
but  as  the  Church  needed  peace  and  rest,  in 


236  The  Presbyterians 

a  spirit  of  kindness  it  asked  him  to  recon- 
sider the  questionable  views  published  by 
him  and  if  he  could  not  conform  them  to 
the  Standards  of  the  Church  peaceably  to 
withdraw  from  the  Presbyterian  ministry. 
To  this  action  the  Professor  made  reply  the 
following  year  declaring  that  the  spirit  and 
purpose  of  his  book  had  been  seriously  mis- 
apprehended. He  repudiated  the  false  con- 
structions that  had  been  placed  upon  it  and 
affirmed  again  that  as  to  all  vital  and  essen- 
tial matters  he  believed  his  views  to  be  in 
accord  with  the  faith  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  and  of  evangelical  Christendom.  To 
this  declaration  the  Assembly  replied  by  re- 
peating its  condemnation  of  the  statements 
of  the  book  while  not  questioning  the  sin- 
cerity of  Dr.  McGiffert,  and  put  forth  a 
declaration  of  doctrines  on  the  inerrancy  of 
Holy  Scripture,  the  institution  of  the  Lord's 
Supper  by  the  Saviour  and  justification  by 
faith  alone;  these  being  the  particular  doc- 
trines which  it  was  believed  the  volume  un- 


Heresy  Trials  237 

der  consideration  had  denied.  The  Assem- 
bly also  referred  the  whole  matter  of  the 
teachings  of  the  Professor  to  the  Presbytery 
of  New  York  (of  which  he  was  a  member) 
for  such  action  as  it  might  deem  necessary. 
Dr.  McGiffert,  however,  in  the  interest 
of  the  peace  of  the  Church  and  his  own 
peace  of  mind  gave  notice  to  the  Presbytery 
of  New  York  of  his  withdrawal  from  the 
ministry  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  and 
asked  that  his  name  be  stricken  from  the 
roll.  The  Presbytery  properly  concluded  its 
duty  in  the  matter  ended.  Dr.  G.  W.  F. 
Birch,  however,  appealed  to  the  Assembly 
of  1900  against  the  judgment  of  the  Presby- 
tery. The  Assembly  judged  that  it  had  no 
authority  over  a  minister  who  had  left  the 
Church  and  so  dismissed  the  appeal. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

CONFESSIONAL    CHANGES 

Ecclesiastical  trials  were  symptomatic 
of  theological  unrest  which  finally  de- 
manded some  adjustment  of  theological 
standards  to  new  conditions  of  thought 
and  life.  There  came  slowly  but  steadily 
over  the  Church  a  feeling  that  the  West- 
minster Confession  of  Faith  no  longer 
adequately  expressed  the  convictions  of 
Presbyterians.  It  was  framed  in  a  day  of 
controversy  and  its  affirmations  were 
directed  against  what  were  at  the  time 
regarded  as  the  peculiar  dangers  to  which 
the  faith  of  the  Church  was  exposed. 
They  were  a  rationalistic  form  of  Arminian- 
ism  and  Roman  Catholicism.  So  the 
emphasis   of  the   Confession   was   on   the 

sovereignty  of  God  as  against  the  assump- 
238 


Confessional  Changes  239 

tions  of  the  latter  and  on  free  grace  and 
election  as  against  the  former.  But  with 
the  shifting  of  the  lines  of  Christian 
thought  there  came  to  be  felt  the  need  of 
a  change  of  emphasis.  The  errors  seen 
and  provided  against  by  the  Westminster 
divines  are  no  longer  the  only  or  the  chief. 
It  is  no  longer  a  question  of  the  sovereignty 
of  God.  The  skeptical  attacks  of  this  age 
inspired  by  science  go  deeper  and  assail  the 
divine  existence. 

Furthermore  the  Church  has  come  to  an 
era  of  a  dawning  human  brotherhood 
which  requires  as  its  correlative  the  father- 
hood and  love  of  God.  It  has  entered  on 
an  active  campaign  to  bring  the  world  to 
the  knowledge  and  obedience  of  the  truth 
as  it  is  in  Christ  and  it  needs  therefore  in 
its  doctrinal  symbols  statements  regarding 
missions  which  are  wholly  wanting  in  the 
Confession  of  Faith  because,  when  it  was 
framed,  missions  did  not  occupy  the  thought 
of  the  Church.     For  these  and  other  rea- 


240  The  Presbyterians 

sons  there  has  come  over  the  mind  of  the 
Church  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic  a  feel- 
ing that  something  must  be  done — not  to 
discredit  the  historic  faith — but  to  put  it 
into  terminology  that  expresses  the  present 
attitude  and  activity  of  the  Church. 

The  Church  in  Great  Britain  was  the  first 
to  take  action.  The  United  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Scotland  took  the  lead.  As  far 
back  as  1879  it  adopted  **A  Declaratory 
Act"  in  which  it  explained  the  sense  in 
which  the  Confession  should  be  under- 
stood. Ten  years  later  the  English  Presby- 
terian Church  promulgated  a  New  Creed  in 
twenty-four  articles  as  a  summary  of  the 
Westminster  Confession  to  which  Church 
officers  might  give  assent  at  their  ordina- 
tion. 

About  the  same  time  the  General  As- 
sembly of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the 
United  States  of  America  was  overtured 
by  the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  to  ap- 
point a  committee  to  revise  the  proof  texts 


Confessional  Changes  241 

which  had  accompanied  the  Shorter  Cate- 
chism as  BibHcal  proof  of  its  positions. 
The  Assembly  recognized  the  fact  that  in 
many  instances  the  texts  cited  did  not 
prove  the  propositions  to  which  they  re- 
ferred, and  ordered  a  revision  of  texts 
which  was  promptly  and  acceptably  done. 
This,  however,  was  but  the  entering  wedge. 
As  the  Church  was  thus  directed  to  a  fresh 
study  of  the  Standards  it  became  more  and 
more  convinced  that  the  difficulties  were 
not  wholly  nor  chiefly  with  the  proof-texts 
but  with  the  structure  of  the  Standards 
which,  while  in  the  main  beyond  criticism 
as  the  noblest  statement  of  Christian  doc- 
trine that  had  ever  been  given  to  the  world, 
yet  were  on  the  theological  side  an  over- 
statement of  the  doctrine  of  election  and 
related  doctrines  and  on  the  practical  side 
deficient  in  ethical  and  wholly  wanting  in 
missionary  affirmations. 

To  the  Assembly  which  met  in  New  York 
City    in     1889    fifteen     Presbyteries    sent 


242  The  Presbyterians 

overtures  asking  for  some  change.  In 
response  the  Assembly  unanimously  re- 
solved to  overture  two  questions  to  the 
Presbyteries.  "  ist.  Do  you  desire  a  re- 
vision of  the  Confession  of  Faith.  2d.  If 
so,  in  what  respect  and  to  what  extent.?" 

In  the  discussions  of  the  year  it  was 
maintained  by  those  who  were  opposed  to 
all  revision  that  the  constitution  of  the 
Church  required  that  the  Presbyteries 
should  propose  any  alterations  that  were  to 
be  made  and  that  therefore  the  Assembly 
had  no  right  of  original  action.  A  sufficient 
answer  to  this  contention,  however,  was 
the  reply  that  the  Assembly  had  proposed 
no  action  but  had  simply  asked  the  Presby- 
teries whether  they  had  any  to  propose. 
The  discussions  in  Presbyteries  and  in  pub- 
lic print  were  earnest  and  long  continued. 
It  was  no  longer  a  question  of  Old  School 
or  New.  Many  of  the  Old  School  leaders 
were  leaders  also  for  revision.  Dr.  James 
McCosh  and  Dr.  J.  T.  Duffield  of  Princeton 


Confessional  Changes  243 

College,  Dr.  Theodore  L.  Cuyler,  Dr.  Henry 
Van  Dyke,  Dr.  Henry  C.  McCook,  all  Old 
School  men,  were  as  decidedly  for  revision 
as  were  such  New  School  men  as  Dr. 
Howard  Crosby,  Dr.  Herrick  Johnson,  Dr. 
Philip  Schaff  and  others.  On  the  other 
side  were  some  of  the  strongest  men  in  the 
Church.  Dr.  W.  G.  T.  Shedd  of  Union 
Seminary,  Drs.  Green,  Warfield  and  C.  W. 
Hodge  of  Princeton,  Dr.  John  DeWitt  at 
that  time  in  McCormick  Seminary,  Dr.  John 
Hall  and  Dr.  Francis  L.  Patton. 

So  general  was  the  interest  in  the  ques- 
tion that  the  Assembly  of  1900  had  before 
it  answers  from  all  the  Presbyteries  except 
four  mission  Presbyteries  in  Asia.  Seven 
Presbyteries — four  of  them  on  foreign  mis- 
sionary ground— refused  to  vote.  Sixty- 
eight  answered  that  no  revision  was  de- 
sired. One  hundred  and  thirty-four  desired 
relief  in  some  form.  As  was  to  be  ex- 
pected from  the  general  nature  of  the  ques- 
tions submitted  there  was  great  diversity  in 


244  '^^^  Presbyterians 

the  form  of  replies.  A  large  number 
specified  particular  forms  of  revision. 
Ninety-three  Presbyteries  asked  for  a  fuller 
statement  of  the  love  of  God  for  the  world. 
Nearly  all  expressed  a  desire  for  a  restate- 
ment of  the  section  regarding  the  salvation 
of  those  who  die  in  infancy. 

After  such  a  response  from  the  Church 
there  was  only  one  thing  for  the  Assembly 
to  do.  It  appointed  a  committee  on  Re- 
vision. It  was  wisely  chosen.  While  a 
majority  were  in  favor  of  revision  the  op- 
ponents of  it  had  strong  and  generous  rep- 
resentation. In  1 89 1  this  committee  re- 
ported progress  and  asked  that  the  proposed 
amendments  be  sent  to  the  Presbyteries  for 
criticism  and  suggestion.  This  was  done 
and  so  the  discussions  were  continued  for 
another  year.  It  was,  however,  well.  Time 
and  argument  cleared  the  air.  It  gradually 
became  apparent  that  nobody  wanted  any- 
thing revolutionary.  The  historic  creed  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church  was  not  to  be  sur- 


Confessional  Changes  245 

rendered.  On  the  other  hand  every  day 
made  it  clearer  that  the  Church  demanded 
some  change  in  formulas  which  no  longer 
fully  expressed  its  mind. 

The  Assembly  of  1892  received  the  full 
and  final  report  of  the  committee  and 
twenty-eight  overtures  embodying  Revision 
were  sent  down  to  the  Presbyteries  for 
their  action.  Among  the  changes  sug- 
gested were  the  work  of  God's  Spirit  on 
the  hearts  of  the  unregenerate;  the  omis- 
sion of  the  statement  about  the  unalterable 
number  of  the  elect;  leaving  open  the  ques- 
tion of  time  in  the  interpretation  of  the  days 
of  creation;  the  possible  salvation  of 
heathen  who  had  never  heard  the  preached 
word;  the  salvation  of  all  infants  dying  in 
infancy,  and  the  omission  of  the  declaration 
that  the  Pope  was  the  Anti-Christ.  The 
omission  of  the  doctrine  of  preterition 
asked  for  by  over  a  hundred  Presbyteries 
was  not  granted  and  was  said  to  be  a  con- 
cession to  the    extreme    conservatives    in 


246  The  Presbyterians 

order  to  secure  a  unanimous  report.  If  so, 
it  failed  in  its  object  for  six  members  of  the 
committee  recorded  their  dissent. 

The  discussion  which  followed  in  the 
Presbyteries  made  it  evident  that  the  pro- 
posed Revision  was  not  wholly  satisfactory. 
Its  compromises  failed  to  get  the  approval 
of  the  conservatives.  It  was  not  definite 
enough  on  some  points  to  please  the  lib- 
erals. There  was  also  a  growing  sentiment 
in  favor  of  leaving  the  Confession  as  it  was 
and  doing  what  the  English  Church  had 
done, — adopt  a  new  creed  which  should 
not  supplant  but  should  interpret  the  Stand- 
ards. The  result  was  that  the  proposed 
Revision  failed  of  adoption.  One  hundred 
and  forty-seven  affirmative  votes  were 
needed.  Only  four  of  the  submitted  prop- 
ositions received  as  many  as  one  hundred 
and  fourteen.  A  singular  feature  of  the 
voting  was  in  the  fact  that  thirty-one  Pres- 
byteries which  in  1890  had  voted  for  Re- 
vision changed  front  and  voted  against  it. 


Confessional  Changes  247 

They  had  not  of  course  changed  in  their 
desire  for  confessional  modifications. 
Rather  a  doubt  came  over  the  mind  of  the 
Church  whether  a  time  of  so  much  eccle- 
siastical agitation  was  best  fitted  for  secur- 
ing such  changes. 

The  trend  of  the  mind  of  the  Church  was 
indicated  in  the  next  Assembly  when  over 
sixty  Presbyteries  memoralized  for  a  new 
and  shorter  creed.  The  Assembly  however 
put  the  memorials  aside  deeming  further 
agitation  at  that  time  as  unwise  and  unde- 
sirable. Time  demonstrated  that  there  was 
advantage  in  ceasing  for  awhile  all  eccle- 
siastical consideration  of  the  important  sub- 
ject. But  the  discussions  did  not  cease. 
The  Church  was  finding  her  thought.  It 
was  the  settling  time,  always  necessary  be- 
fore crystallization  can  take  place.  The 
Church  had  now  been  advised  by  definite 
action  of  the  vast  majority  of  the  Presby- 
teries that  some  revision  was  desired.  The 
Confession  had  been  challenged  as  to  some 


248  The  Presbyterians 

of  its  most  emphatic  statements  and  the 
pause  that  followed  the  action  of  1892,  so 
far  from  indicating  acquiescence  in  the  old 
forms,  was  only  a  time  for  deepening  the 
current  that  set  toward  new  doctrinal  state- 
ments and  giving  them  final  direction. 

Nothing  further  looking  toward  confes- 
sional changes  was  attempted  until  1900. 
In  1893  indeed  a  committee  was  appointed 
to  prepare  a  consensus  creed  which  would 
be  acceptable  not  only  to  the  Presbyterian 
Church  of  the  United  States  of  America  but 
it  was  hoped  also  to  other  bodies  on  both 
sides  of  the  Atlantic.  The  committee  was 
continued  for  some  time  but  nothing  came 
of  its  deliberations.  But  meantime  the 
sentiment  of  the  Church  was  moving,  if 
silently,  yet  cogently,  toward  revision.  It 
appeared  in  Presbyterial  discussions  and  in 
articles  in  the  religious  press.  Relief  was 
being  demanded.  The  Assembly  of  1900 
was  importuned  by  no  less  than  thirty- 
seven  Presbyteries  for  some  sort  of  credal 


Confessional  Changes  249 

revision.  Some  of  tbiem  asked  for  revision; 
some  for  a  new  creed  wliicli  shiould  be 
supplementary  to  the  Confession,  and  still 
others  for  a  new  creed  which  should  be  a 
substitute.  In  response  to  such  a  general 
demand  definite  action  must  be  taken. 
Moreover,  the  time  for  such  action  was 
opportune.  It  was  a  time  of  theological 
peace  so  far  as  attacks  on  the  Confession 
were  concerned.  It  was  a  good  time  to  in- 
quire in  a  calm  and  judicial  way  what  form 
of  relief  should  be  granted  to  the  anxious 
and  burdened  mind  of  the  Church.  The 
Assembly  therefore  appointed  a  committee 
of  fifteen — eight  ministers  and  seven  elders 
"to  consider  the  whole  matter  of  a  restate- 
ment of  the  doctrines  most  surely  believed 
among  us  and  which  are  substantially  em- 
bodied in  our  Confession  of  Faith."  The 
committee  was  enjoined  to  seek  light  from 
every  available  source  and  to  report  to  the 
next  Assembly  what  specific  action  if  any 
should  be  taken. 


250  The  Presbyterians 

To  the  Assembly  of  1901  the  committee 
reported  progress,  was  enlarged  and  con- 
tinued to  report  fully  and  finally  in  1902. 
That  Assembly  met  in  the  Fifth  Avenue 
Church  of  New  York  City  and  on  the 
twenty-second  of  May  the  committee  on 
revision  presented  its  report.  It  consisted 
of  two  parts.  The  first  was  textual  revi- 
sion of  the  Confession  of  Faith  by  modifi- 
cation and  additional  and  declaratory  state- 
ments. It  was  embodied  in  eleven  overtures 
to  be  in  constitutional  form  submitted  to 
the  Presbyteries  for  their  adoption.  The 
amendments  related  to  the  decrees  of  God, 
the  salvation  of  all  dying  in  infancy,  the 
good  works  of  the  unregenerate,  and  Christ 
as  the  only  head  of  the  Church.  Two  ad- 
ditional chapters  were  presented — one  a 
fuller  statement  of  the  person  and  work 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  and  another  on  the  love 
of  God  and  missions. 

But  the  most  important  work  of  the  com- 
mittee and  that  which  was  hailed  with  spe- 


Confessional  Changes  251 

cial  satisfaction  by  the  Assembly  was  the 
**  Brief  Statement  of  the  Reformed  Faith." 
It  had  been  prepared  with  a  view  to  its  be- 
ing employed  to  give  information  and  a 
better  understanding  of  Presbyterian  doc- 
trine and  not  with  a  view  to  its  becoming  a 
substitute  for  or  an  alternative  of  the  Con- 
fession of  Faith.  It  was  not  to  be  merely  a 
condensation  of  catechisms  and  Confession 
but  a  compendium  which  should  bring  out 
more  plainly  the  evangelical  aspects  of  the 
faith  and  be  imbued  with  a  devotional 
spirit.  It  was  hoped  that  this  "Brief  State- 
ment" would  find  general  acceptance  when 
presented  to  the  Assembly  but  no  one  was 
prepared  for  the  practical  unanimity  and 
devout  enthusiasm  with  which  it  was 
adopted.  Conservatives  and  liberals  vied 
with  each  other  in  praise  of  its  form  and 
spirit  and  in  desire  to  adopt  it  as  a  worthy, 
and  for  practical  purposes  sufficient,  expres- 
sion of  the  truth  as  held  by  the  Presbyterian 
Church.     It  is  as  follows: 


252  The  Presbyterians 

Article  I.— Of  God. 
We  believe  in  the  ever-living  God,  who 
is  a  Spirit  and  the  Father  of  our  Spirits;  in- 
finite, eternal,  and  unchangeable  in  his 
being  and  perfections;  the  Lord  Almighty, 
most  just  in  all  his  ways,  most  glorious  in 
holiness,  unsearchable  in  wisdom  and 
plenteous  in  mercy,  full  of  love  and  com- 
passion, and  abundant  in  goodness  and 
truth.  We  worship  him.  Father,  Son,  and 
Holy  Spirit,  three  persons  in  one  Godhead, 
one  in  substance  and  equal  in  power  and 
glory. 

Article  II.— Of  Revelation. 
We  believe  that  God  is  revealed  in  nature, 
in  history,  and  in  the  heart  of  man;  that  he 
has  made  gracious  and  clearer  revelations 
of  himself  to  men  of  God  who  spoke  as 
they  were  moved  by  the  Holy  Spirit;  and 
that  Jesus  Christ,  the  Word  made  flesh,  is 
the  brightness  of  the  Father's  glory  and  the 
express  image  of  his  person.     We  grate- 


Confessional  Changes  253 

fully  receive  the  Holy  Scriptures,  given  by 
inspiration,  to  be  the  faithful  record  of 
God's  gracious  revelations  and  the  sure 
witness  to  Christ,  as  the  Word  of  God,  the 
only  infallible  rule  of  faith  and  life. 

Article  111. — Of  the  Eternal  Purpose. 

We  believe  that  the  eternal,  wise,  holy, 
and  loving  purpose  of  God  embraces  all 
events,  so  that  while  the  freedom  of  man 
is  not  taken  away  nor  is  God  the  author  of 
sin,  yet  in  his  providence  he  makes  all 
things  work  together  in  the  fulfilment  of 
his  sovereign  design  and  the  manifestation 
of  his  glory;  wherefore,  humbly  acknowl- 
edging the  mystery  of  this  truth,  we  trust 
in  his  protecting  care  and  set  our  hearts  to 
do  his  will. 

Article  IV.— Of  the  Creation. 
We  believe  that  God  is  the  creator,  up- 
holder, and  governor  of  all  things;  that  he 
is  above  all  his  works  and  in  them  all;  and 
that  he  made  man  in  his  own  image,  meet 


254  The  Presbyterians 

for  fellowship  with  him,  free  and  able  to 
choose  between  good  and  evil,  and  forever 
responsible  to  his  Maker  and  Lord. 

Article  V.— Of  the  Sin  of  Man. 
We  believe  that  our  first  parents,  being 
tempted,  chose  evil,  and  so  fell  away  from 
God  and  came  under  the  power  of  sin,  the 
penalty  of  which  is  eternal  death;  and  we 
confess  that,  by  reason  of  this  disobedi- 
ence, we  and  all  men  are  born  with  a  sin- 
ful nature,  that  we  have  broken  God's  law, 
and  that  no  man  can  be  saved  but  by  his 
grace. 

Article  VI.— Of  the  Grace  of  God. 

We  believe  that  God,  out  of  his  great 
love  for  the  world,  has  given  his  only  be- 
gotten Son  to  be  the  Saviour  of  sinners, 
and  in  the  gospel  freely  offers  his  all- 
sufficient  salvation  to  all  men.  And  we 
praise  him  for  the  unspeakable  grace 
wherein  he  has  provided  a  way  of  eternal 
life  for  all  mankind. 


Confessional  Changes  255 

Article  VII.— Of  Election. 
We  believe  that  God,  from  the  beginning, 
in  his  own  good  pleasure,  gave  to  his  Son 
a  people,  an  innumerable  multitude,  chosen 
in  Christ  unto  holiness,  service  and  salva- 
tion; we  believe  that  all  who  come  to  years 
of  discretion  can  receive  this  salvation  only 
through  faith  and  repentance;  and  we  be- 
lieve that  all  who  die  in  infancy,  and  all 
others  given  by  the  Father  to  the  Son  who 
are  beyond  the  reach  of  the  outward 
means  of  grace,  are  regenerated  and  saved 
by  Christ  through  the  Spirit,  who  works 
when  and  where  and  how  he  pleases. 

Article  VIII.— Of  Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
We  believe  in  and  confess  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  the  only  Mediator  between  God  and 
man,  who  being  the  Eternal  Son  of  God, 
for  us  men  and  for  our  salvation  became 
truly  man,  being  conceived  by  the  Holy 
Ghost  and  born  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  with- 
out sin;  unto  us  he  has  revealed  the  Father, 


256  The  Presbyterians 

by  his  Word  and  Spirit  making  known  the 
perfect  will  of  God;  for  us  he  fulfilled  all 
righteousness  and  satisfied  eternal  justice, 
offering  himself  a  perfect  sacrifice  upon  the 
cross  to  take  away  the  sin  of  the  world; 
for  us  he  rose  from  the  dead  and  ascended 
into  heaven,  where  he  ever  intercedes  for 
us;  in  our  hearts,  joined  to  him  by  faith, 
he  abides  forever  as  the  indwelling  Christ; 
over  us,  and  over  all  for  us,  he  rules; 
wherefore,  unto  him  we  render  love,  obedi- 
ence, and  adoration  as  our  Prophet,  Priest, 
and  King  forever. 

Article  IX.— Of  Faith  and  Repentance. 
We  believe  that  God  pardons  our  sins 
and  accepts  us  as  righteous,  solely  on  the 
ground  of  the  perfect  obedience  and  sacri- 
fice of  Christ,  received  by  faith  alone;  and 
that  this  saving  faith  is  always  accom- 
panied by  repentance,  wherein  we  confess 
and  forsake  our  sins  with  full  purpose  of, 
and  endeavor  ^fter,  a  new  obedience  to  God, 


Confessional  Changes  257 

Article  X. — Of  the  Holy  Spirit 
We  believe  in  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  Lord 
and  Giver  of  Life,  who  moves  everywhere 
upon  the  hearts  of  men,  to  restrain  them 
from  evil  and  to  incite  them  unto  good,  and 
whom  the  Father  is  ever  willing  to  give 
unto  all  who  ask  him.  We  believe  that  he 
has  spoken  by  holy  men  of  God  in  making 
known  his  truth  to  men  for  their  salvation; 
that,  through  our  exalted  Saviour,  he  was 
sent  forth  in  power  to  convict  the  world  of 
sin,  to  enlighten  men's  minds  in  the  knowl- 
edge of  Christ,  and  to  persuade  and  enable 
them  to  obey  the  call  of  the  gospel;  and 
that  he  abides  with  the  Church,  dwelling  in 
every  believer  as  the  spirit  of  truth,  of  holi- 
ness, and  of  comfort. 

Article  XI. — Of  the  New  Birth  and  the 
New  Life. 

We  believe  that  the  Holy  Spirit  only  is 
the  author  and  source  of  the  new  birth;  we 
rejoice  in  the  new  life,  wherein  he  is  given 


258  The  Presbyterians 

unto  us  as  the  seal  of  sonship  in  Christ, 
and  keeps  loving  fellowship  with  us,  helps 
us  in  our  infirmities,  purges  us  from  our 
faults,  and  ever  continues  his  transforming 
work  in  us  until  we  are  perfected  in  the 
likeness  of  Christ,  in  the  glory  of  the  life  to 
come. 

Article   XII.— Of   the   Resurrection  and 
THE  Life  to  Come. 

We  believe  that  in  the  life  to  come  the 
spirits  of  the  just,  at  death  made  free  from 
sin,  enjoy  immediate  communion  with  God 
and  the  vision  of  his  glory;  and  we  con- 
fidently look  for  the  general  resurrection 
in  the  last  day,  when  the  bodies  of  those 
who  sleep  in  Christ  shall  be  fashioned  in 
the  likeness  of  the  glorious  body  of  their 
Lord,  with  whom  they  shall  live  and  reign 
forever. 

Article  Xlll. — Of  the  Law  of  God. 
We  believe  that  the  law  of  God,  revealed 
in    the    Ten    Commandments,    and    more 


Confessional  Changes  259 

clearly  disclosed  in  the  words  of  Christ,  is 
forever  established  in  truth  and  equity,  so 
that  no  human  work  shall  abide  except  it  be 
built  on  this  foundation.  We  believe  that 
God  requires  of  every  man  to  do  justly,  to 
love  mercy,  and  to  walk  humbly  with  his 
God;  and  that  only  through  this  harmony 
with  the  will  of  God  shall  be  fulfilled  that 
brotherhood  of  man  wherein  the  kingdom 
of  God  is  to  be  made  manifest. 

Article  XIV.— Of  the  Church  and  the 
Sacraments. 

We  believe  in  the  Holy  Catholic  Church 
of  which  Christ  is  the  only  Head.  We  be- 
lieve that  the  Church  Invisible  consists  of  all 
the  redeemed,  and  that  the  Church  Visible 
embraces  all  who  profess  the  true  religion 
together  with  their  children.  We  receive 
to  our  communion  all  who  confess  and 
obey  Christ  as  their  divine  Lord  and 
Saviour,  and  we  hold  fellowship  with  all 
believers  in  him. 


26o  The  Presbyterians 

We  receive  the  sacraments  of  baptism 
and  the  Lord's  Supper,  alone  divinely  es- 
tablished and  committed  to  the  Church, 
together  with  the  Word,  as  means  of 
grace;  made  effectual  only  by  the  Holy 
Spirit,  and  always  to  be  used  by  Christians 
with  prayer  and  praise  to  God. 

Article  XV. — Of  the  Last  Judgment. 

We  believe  that  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  will 
come  again  in  glorious  majesty  to  judge  the 
world  and  to  make  a  final  separation  be- 
tween the  righteous  and  the  wicked.  The 
wicked  shall  receive  the  eternal  award  of 
their  sins,  and  the  Lord  will  manifest  the 
glory  of  his  mercy  in  the  salvation  of  his 
people  and  their  entrance  upon  the  full  en- 
joyment of  eternal  life. 

Article  XVI. — Of    Christian  Service  and 

THE  Final  Triumph. 

We  believe  that  it  is  our  duty,  as  servants 

and  friends  of  Christ,  to  do  good  unto  all 

men,  to  maintain  the  public  and  private 


Confessional  Changes  261 

worship  of  God,  to  hallow  the  Lord's  Day, 
to  preserve  the  sanctity  of  the  family,  to 
uphold  the  just  authority  of  the  State,  and 
so  to  live  in  all  honesty,  purity,  and  charity 
that  our  lives  shall  testify  of  Christ.  We 
joyfully  receive  the  word  of  Christ,  bidding 
his  people  go  into  all  the  world  and  make 
disciples  of  all  nations,  and  declare  unto 
them  that  God  was  in  Christ  reconciling  the 
world  unto  himself,  and  that  he  will  have 
all  men  to  be  saved  and  to  come  to  the 
knowledge  of  the  truth.  We  confidently 
trust  that  by  his  power  and  grace  all  his 
enemies  and  ours  shall  be  finally  overcome, 
and  the  kingdoms  of  this  world  shall  be 
made  the  kingdom  of  our  God  and  of  his 
Christ.  In  this  faith  we  abide;  in  this 
service  we  labor;  and  in  this  hope  we  pray, 

Even  so,  come,  Lord  Jesus. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

THE  PRESBYTERIAN   CHURCH  TO-DAY 

Three  words  describe  the  Presbyterian 
Church  of  to-day.  It  is  a  Conservative 
Church,  a  Missionary  Church  and  an  Irenic 
Church.  Along  these  lines  its  life  is  now 
developing. 

Though  there  have  been  marked  theolog- 
ical changes,  yet  as  the  result  of  them  all  the 
Presbyterian  Church  is  still  conservative. 
That  with  other  Churches  it  has  made  prog- 
ress in  its  interpretations  of  truth  goes 
almost  without  saying.  The  Westminster 
Standards  no  longer  fully  measure  the  con- 
tents of  its  faith.  It  still  holds  to  them  but 
it  has  overflowed  them.  It  is  a  Calvinistic 
Church  but  the  terminology  in  which  that 
system  was  presented  two  centuries  and  a 

half    ago    no    longer    satisfies    either    the 
262 


Presbyterian  Church  To-day  263 

scholarship  or  the  life  of  the  Church. 
Hence  the  discussions  on  Revision  running 
through  two  decades  and  hence  the  conclu- 
sions reached  in  the  Revision  and  the  new 
statement  of  doctrine  given  in  the  preceding 
chapter.  By  them  it  appears  the  system 
remains  but  it  is  expressed  in  forms  better 
suited  to  the  demands  of  this  age  and  more 
perfectly  uttering  the  Church's  last  thought 
concerning  the  character  of  God  and  its 
own  duty. 

While  thus  the  Presbyterian  Church  con- 
tinues to  be  conservative,  it  realizes  that  the 
armor  that  is  centuries  old  is  not  best  fitted 
for  the  present  campaign  and  that  new 
weapons  of  thought  must  be  forged  to 
meet  the  new  enemies  that  march  against 
the  truth.  The  enemies  against  which  the 
Westminster  Standards  aimed  their  doc- 
trinal statements  have  not  indeed  wholly 
disappeared — the  divine  right  of  kings  and 
the  assumptions  of  the  Papacy  are  still  in 
the  field.     But  there  are  more  deadly  foes 


264  The  Presbyterians 

to  evangelistic  religion  than  these.  The 
line  of  battle  has  shifted.  Questions  of  the 
divine  existence,  the  possibility  of  revela- 
tion, the  development  of  man  without  a 
Creator  and  the  uncertainty  of  any  future 
at  all— these  and  kindred  problems  confront 
the  Church.  And  it  may  therefore  well  be 
argued  that  not  only  should  the  Church 
stand  by  statements  already  accepted  but  it 
should  make  further  statements  of  truth  to 
meet  new  conditions.  While  therefore  for 
the  present  the  Church  contents  itself  with 
a  moderate  revision  and  a  brief  creed  ex- 
pressed in  general  terms  it  is  likely  that  the 
spirit  of  inquiry  which  has  resulted  in  pres- 
ent changes  will  require  further  progress 
and  additional  statements.  And  all  this 
may  be  without  surrendering  the  historic 
position  of  conservatism  which  has  ever 
characterized  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

The  present  theological  attitude  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  in  the  United  States  of 
America  applies  substantially  to  the  other 


Presbyterian  Church  To-day   265 

divisions  of  the  Church  in  this  country. 
Thus  the  United  Presbyterian  Church, 
strongly  Calvinistic  and  accepting  the  West- 
minster Standards  as  its  own,  supplements 
them  by  what  is  called  a  ''Testimony  of 
the  Church"  which  explains,  amplifies  and 
applies  the  Standards  to  present  conditions 
of  Church  and  country.  One  of  the  articles 
of  this  "Testimony"  relates  to  Psalmody. 
The  psalms  of  David  were  given  by  inspira- 
tion, this  Church  declares,  for  use  in  public 
worship.  Being  inspired  they  are  better 
for  purposes  of  worship  than  any  unin- 
spired hymnology  can  possibly  be.  The 
United  Presbyterian  Church  therefore  con- 
tines  itself  to  the  psalms  for  its  expressions 
of  praise.  In  the  early  history  of  the 
Church  the  Scottish  version  sometimes 
called  **  Rouse's  "  was  used  exclusively.  A 
new  version,  however,  has  now  been  made, 
approved  by  the  General  Assembly,  and  is 
commonly  used  by  the  Church.  A  com- 
mittee of  Reformed  Churches  in  this  coun- 


266  The  Presbyterians 

try  is  now  engaged  in  preparing  a  new 
metrical  version  of  the  Psalms  which  it  is 
hoped  may  be  a  common  bond  binding  still 
closer  together  the  various  branches  of  the 
Presbyterian  family. 

The  Covenanter  or  Reformed  Church  uses 
only  the  Westminster  Standards  as  its  ex- 
pression of  doctrine.  It  has,  however,  a 
number  of  peculiar  rules,  as  close  commun- 
ion, opposition  to  secret  societies  and  re- 
fusal to  allow  its  members  to  discharge 
civic  duties  because  the  government  has  not 
formally  recognized  its  responsibility  to  the 
divine  government  of  Jesus  Christ. 

The  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church  also 
adopts  the  Confession  of  Faith  but  only 
after  many  changes  and  amendments.  It 
occupies  a  middle  ground  between  the 
extremes  of  Calvinism  and  Arminianism. 

The  Presbyterian  Church  of  the  United 
States  (South)  has  made  no  revision  of 
Westminster  Standards,  accepting  them  as 
a  full  and  sufficient  statement  of  doctrine. 


Presbyterian  Church  To-day  267 

They  organized  as  a  separate  Church  on  the 
question  of  the  spirituality  of  the  Church 
and  this  doctrine  they  regard  as  vital,  though 
extracts  might  be  taken  from  action  of  their 
General  Assembly  in  which  they  too  ex- 
pressed themselves  on  national  affairs.  This 
Church  whenever  possible  separates  the  col- 
ored people  into  Presbyteries  and  Synods  of 
their  own — not  it  is  claimed  on  any  "color 
line"  theory,  but  because  it  believes  it  best 
for  colored  and  white  that  they  should  be 
ecclesiastically  separate.  This  much  then 
briefly  as  to  the  present  theological  attitude 
of  the  various  branches  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  in  this  country. 

Perhaps  the  most  distinctive  characteristic 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  to-day  is  its 
missionary  character.  In  preceding  chap- 
ters it  is  shown  that  the  Church  has  always 
given  its  best  energies  to  the  extension  of 
Christian  influences  and  institutions.  But 
during  the  past  few  decades  the  idea  of 
world-wide   evangelization  has  taken  firm 


268  The  Presbyterians 

hold  and  plans  thorough  and  far-reach- 
ing have  been  made  to  accomplish  this 
end.  The  Presbyterian  Church  conducts 
its  missionary  and  philanthropic  work 
chiefly  through  eight  Boards  to  whose 
organization  reference  has  already  been 
made. 

The  first  of  these,  the  Board  of  Home 
Missions,  was  organized  in  1802  and  has  had 
a  large  share  in  the  religious  development  of 
the  country.  Figures  can  give  but  the  faint- 
est idea  of  the  power  of  this  great  Board  as 
it  has  gone  with  the  advancing  pioneer  line 
across  all  the  parallels  of  our  country.  But 
they  suggest  more  than  they  can  tell.  Since 
its  organization  about  75,000  commissions 
have  been  issued  to  missionaries — each  one 
representing  as  a  rule  a  year  of  service. 
The  amount  expended  on  this  branch  of 
Christian  work  in  our  country  has  been 
about  $24,000,000.  It  was  estimated  by 
Dr.  Henry  Kendall  that  nine-tenths  of  all 
Presbyterian  churches  have  had  a  missionary 


Presbyterian  Church  To-day   269 

origin  and  been  directly  or  indirectly  founded 
by  this  Board. 

At  the  present  time  the  work  extends 
from  Alaska  to  Cuba  and  Porto  Rico.  Many 
of  the  eastern  states  conduct  their  own 
home  mission  work,  but  the  Board  of 
Home  Missions  in  its  last  report  names 
1,350  missionaries  with  490  mission  school 
teachers  working  in  forty  states  and  terri- 
tories. 

The  importance  of  this  work  for  the  re- 
generation of  our  own  country  becomes 
manifest  when  we  consider  the  elements 
which  it  comprises.  Our  immigration  now 
reaches  nearly  a  million  a  year  and  by  far 
the  larger  part  comes  from  European  peo- 
ples who  are  strangers  to  the  ideals — civil 
or  religious — which  so  far  have  ruled  our 
land.  Italians,  Poles,  Hungarians,  Slavs  and 
kindred  races  from  southern  and  eastern 
Europe  increase  the  unhealthful  and  perilous 
congestion  of  great  cities  and  add  explosives 
of  discontent  ^nd  anarchisrn  to  the  popula- 


270  The  Presbyterians 

tions  of  mining  communities  and  logging 
camps. 

Alien  peoples  in  the  West  increase  our 
dangers — the  chief  est  of  these  being  the  ter- 
rible Mormon  system,  which  controlling 
several  states  and  territories  reaches  across 
the  land  in  missionary  adventure  and  threat- 
ens to  get  political  control  of  the  country. 
The  mission  field  of  southern  mountains 
must  not  be  forgotten.  There  is  no  more 
important  missionary  duty  than  that  of  re- 
building the  Christian  character  of  original 
Americans.  And  the  three  million  moun- 
taineers of  the  South  are  such  Americans — 
having  special  claims  on  Christian  effort 
alike  by  their  inheritance,  their  patriotic 
service  and  their  undoubted  capacity. 

Then  there  are  250,000  aboriginal  Amer- 
icans in  the  United  States.  They  have  long 
constituted  a  governmental  problem.  The 
solution  of  it  is  through  the  school  and  the 
Church.  Some  of  the  most  interesting  and 
encouraging  chapters  of  recent  missionary 


Presbyterian  Church  To-day   271 

history  are  those  which  recount  the  labors 
of  Presbyterian  missionaries  among  the  In- 
dians. That  the  Indians  are  capable  of  re- 
ceiving Christian  truth  and  living  Christian 
lives  the  story  of  the  transformation  of  the 
Sioux,  Nez  Perces,  Pimas  and  Papagoes 
abundantly  testifies. 

The  work  of  home  missions  could  not 
be  prosecuted  with  the  vigor  and  success 
which  in  late  years  have  specially  character- 
ized it  if  the  Board  had  not  had  the  power- 
ful auxiliary  called  at  its  organization  in 
1878  *'The  Woman's  Executive  Commit- 
tee" but  now  known  as  "The  Woman's 
Board  of  Home  Missions."  The  degraded 
condition  of  what  are  called  "our  excep- 
tional populations" — the  Indians,  Mexicans, 
Mormons  and  Alaskans — especially  of  the 
women  and  children,  appealed  powerfully 
to  the  Church  to  do  more  for  them  than 
could  be  done  under  the  charter  of  the 
Board  of  Home  Missions.  They  needed 
mission  schools.     Dr.  Sheldon  Jackson  first 


272  The  Presbyterians 

prominently  brought  this  subject  to  the  at- 
tention of  the  Church  in  the  columns  of 
The  Rocky  Mountain  Presbyterian.  The 
women  of  the  Church  responded  to  these 
appeals  and  organized  to  undertake  the  sup- 
port of  this  work.  It  had  a  feeble  begin- 
ning— the  first  year  only  $3,138  being 
raised,  but  it  has  grown  so  rapidly  that  in 
1902  there  were  490  missionaries  and  teach- 
ers, and  145  mission  schools  under  its  care 
with  10,036  pupils,  $312,625  being  ex- 
pended in  their  support.  The  Board  has 
acquired  property  in  chapels,  schoolhouses, 
manses  and  teacher's  homes  of  the  aggre- 
gate value  of  $875,640.  Forced  by  circum- 
stances the  work  has  led  upward  toward 
higher  educational  institutions.  There  are 
now  in  successful  operation  twelve  schools 
in  which  academic  work  is  done — also  one 
college,  one  collegiate  institute  and  one 
normal  collegiate  institute.  These  all  save 
one  have  grown  out  of  little  mission 
schools. 


Presbyterian  Church  To-day   273 

Considering  this  mission  field  with  its 
vital  present  and  its  commanding  future  tlie 
Church  will  do  well  to  act  on  the  word  of 
Professor  Phelps  when  he  said,  ''Spiritual 
strategy  demands  that  the  evangelization  of 
this  country  should  be  kept  ahead  of  every 
other  movement  for  the  conversion  of  the 
world." 

The  work  of  the  Board  of  Foreign  Mis- 
sions is  looming  large  before  the  thought 
and  conscience  of  the  Church.  The  move- 
ment began  at  the  "  Haystack  Prayer  Meet- 
ing" at  Williams  College  in  1806.  That 
was  the  germ  of  the  American  Board  or- 
ganized in  1810,  which  for  so  many  years 
led  the  foreign  missionary  work  of  the 
churches  of  this  country.  From  181 1  until 
1837,  the  Presbyterian  Church  availed  itself 
of  this  great  agency  for  carrying  the  gospel 
to  the  heathen  world.  In  the  latter  year 
the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church  in  the  United  States  of 
America    was    organized,    absorbing    the 


274  The  Presbyterians 

Western  Foreign  Missionary  Society,  which 
had  been  organized  in  Pittsburg  in  183 1. 
In  its  first  report  in  1838  it  had  fifteen  mis- 
sionaries with  twenty-three  assistants  and 
its  total  receipts  were  145,498.  Its  growth 
was  rapid.  After  the  division  the  New 
School  Branch  continued  its  alliance  with 
the  American  Board.  At  the  Reunion  in 
1870  the  whole  foreign  missionary  work  of 
the  Church  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Board 
of  Foreign  Missions.  The  vast  extent  of  it 
may  be  inferred  from  the  statistics  given  to 
the  General  Assembly  of  1902.  It  has  sta- 
tions in  Africa,  China,  India,  Japan,  Korea, 
Mexico,  Persia,  Philippine  Islands,  Siam, 
Laos,  South  and  Central  America  and  Syria. 
There  are  121  principal  stations  and  more 
than  1,200  outstations,  with  a  total  force  of 
American  missionaries  (men  and  women) 
of  749  and  1,882  native  helpers.  There  are 
610  organized  churches,  with  44,443  com- 
municants. There  are  over  26,000  pupils  in 
mission    schools.      There    are    thirty-three 


Presbyterian  Church  To-day  275 

hospitals  and  fifty-one  dispensaries,  hav- 
ing treated  289,363  patients.  The  money 
received  for  this  work  in  1902  was 
$1,086,341. 

As  in  home  missions,  so  in  foreign,  the 
consecrated  and  organized  work  of  the 
women  of  the  Church  counts  largely  to- 
ward the  great  result.  There  are  seven 
woman's  boards  located  in  different  parts  of 
the  country  auxiliary  to  the  Board  of  For- 
eign Missions.  They  have  no  share  in  the 
administration  but  through  their  societies 
furnish  information,  arouse  interest  and 
gather  funds.     Their  receipts  in  1902  were 

$370,479- 

The  Presbyterian  Board  of  Publication 
and  Sabbath-School  Work  has  a  twofold 
function.  It  was  primarily  organized  to 
provide  good  literature  for  the  Church. 
Presbyterians  are  readers.  Early  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  Church  in  this  country  various 
ways  were  devised  for  meeting  the  general 
craving  for  good  books.     In  many  of  the 


276  The  Presbyterians 

Presbyteries,  circulating  libraries  on  a  small 
scale  were  provided,  from  which  ministers 
and  others  might  draw.  In  some  cases 
churches  provided  a  manse  furnished  with  a 
library.  These  projects  were  however  in- 
sufficient to  meet  the  growing  demand  for 
the  circulation  of  good  books.  The  Amer- 
ican Bible  Society  was  organized  in  1816, 
and  the  General  Assembly  at  once  expressed 
its  pleasure  that  such  a  society  had  been 
formed  and  commended  it  to  the  confidence 
of  the  churches.  While  thus  the  printing 
of  Bibles  has  been  left  to  the  Bible  Society 
the  Church  felt  increasingly  the  need  of  pro- 
viding suitable  religious  reading  for  its  peo- 
ple. During  the  division  both  Old  and  New 
School  engaged  in  this  work.  At  the  Re- 
union the  two  branches  consolidated  their 
publishing  business  in  the  Presbyterian 
Board  of  Publication.  It  is  a  business  en- 
terprise and  successful  in  a  business  way. 
But  in  1887  a  new  department  was  created 
for   the    purpose    of    organizing    Sunday- 


Presbyterian  Church  To-day   277 

schools  and  supplying  them  with  suitable 
literature.  This  is  a  distinctively  mission- 
ary agency  and  appeals  to  the  Church  for 
its  support.  It  issues  lesson  helps  for  all 
grades  of  pupils  and  for  teachers.  It  carries 
on  its  Sabbath-school  missionary  work  in 
thirty-one  states  and  territories  and  had  in 
1902,  ninety-seven  missionaries  who  organ- 
ized 773  Sabbath-schools  and  reorganized 
338,  making  a  total  of  1,1 11  schools,  with 
an  aggregate  membership  of  35,944  schol- 
ars. It  reports  a  total  of  churches  grow- 
ing out  of  these  mission  schools  since  the 
department  was  created  of  1,094  of  which 
number  651  are  Presbyterian  and  443  are 
churches  of  other  denominations. 

The  Board  of  Church  Erection  is  closely 
affiliated  with  that  of  Home  Missions. 
Church  buildings  represent  the  permanent 
element  in  Christian  missions.  When  a 
building  is  erected  the  Church  becomes  an 
institution.  The  need  of  suitable  housing 
for  pioneer  congregations  early  pressed  on 


278  The  Presbyterians 

the  heart  of  the  Church.  As  early  as  1775 
the  church  in  Salem,  Mass.,  having  been 
burned,  the  Presbytery  of  Boston  and  the 
Synod  of  Massachusetts  issued  an  appeal 
for  help.  On  the  organization  of  the  Board 
of  Home  Missions  in  1816  the  matter  of 
church  building  was  pressed  on  the  atten- 
tion of  the  General  Assembly  as  a  necessary 
part  of  home  missions.  The  Assembly 
urged  special  collections  for  this  object. 
Committees  were  appointed  to  have  special 
care  of  this  part  of  mission  work  and  to 
keep  it  before  the  Church.  The  Old  School 
Assembly  of  1844  gave  the  Board  of  Home 
Missions  specific  instructions  in  regard  to 
the  management  of  this  department.  In 
1855  the  Board  of  Church  Erection  of  the 
Old  School  branch  was  established  in  St. 
Louis  on  the  principle  that  it  should  be  near 
to  the  churches  to  be  aided.  The  New 
School  had  a  ''Committee  of  Church  Ex- 
tension "  and  located  it  in  Philadelphia.  At 
the  Reunion  both  Boards  were  merged  in 


Presbyterian  Church  To-day    279 

the  present  Board  of  Church  Erection  and 
located  in  New  York. 

In  1902  this  Board  reported  receipts 
aggregating  $193,275.  Appropriations  as 
grants  or  loans  had  been  made  to  259 
churches  in  the  sum  of  §205,269 — the 
largest  sum  so  appropriated  in  any  one  year 
in  the  history  of  the  Board.  It  is  distrib- 
uted in  forty-one  states  and  territories  in- 
cluding Porto  Rico. 

Another  agency  which  takes  part  in  the 
general  home  mission  work  of  the  Church 
is  the  Board  for  Freedmen.  The  duty  of 
the  Church  to  the  colored  people  has  al- 
ways been  recognized — North  and  South. 
The  result  of  the  Civil  War  suddenly  threw 
upon  the  Christian  Church  the  weightiest 
responsibility  for  the  education  and  salva- 
tion of  these  people,  for  they  were  no 
longer  slaves  but  fellow-citizens  of  the  re- 
public. They  must  be  fitted  for  their  place. 
During,  as  well  as  after  the  War,  Christian 
people   were   realizing    the  importance  of 


28o  The  Presbyterians 

speedy  action.  The  churches  in  the  South 
could  do  little.  They  had  many  problems 
on  hand  and  they  were  poor.  To  some  ex- 
tent also  doubtless  the  change  of  the  negro's 
status  took  away  their  interest  in  his  future. 
In  1865  in  both  Old  and  New  School  As- 
semblies the  welfare  of  the  Freedmen  was 
considered  and  committees  appointed  to 
inaugurate  missions  among  them.  At  the 
Reunion  in  1870  the  whole  work  was  put 
into  the  hands  of  a  Board  with  headquarters 
at  Pittsburg.  This  Board  has  had  a  fruitful 
history.  It  has  sent  out  missionaries,  es- 
tablished schools  and  commissioned  teach- 
ers for  them  and,  into  regions  so  destitute 
or  scattered  in  population  as  to  render  regu- 
lar church  work  inexpedient,  it  has  sent 
Bible  readers  and  evangelists.  It  has  over 
200  missionaries  under  commission  and  en- 
rolled last  year  353  churches  with  a  mem- 
bership of  21,341.  The  entire  number  of 
workers  including  Bible  readers  and  teach- 
ers is  421.     It  has  about  eighty  schools — 


Presbyterian  Church  To-day    281 

one  of  which,  Biddle  University,  gives  a 
full  college  course  and  has  besides  a  theo- 
logical department  which  in  1902  reported 
a  faculty  of  four  professors  and  twelve 
students. 

The  Presbyterian  Church  insists  on  high 
qualifications  for  its  ministers.  From  the 
first  she  has  striven  for  educational  oppor- 
tunities for  her  people.  Before  the  public 
school  system  was  in  operation  parochial 
schools  were  established  wherever  possible. 
It  early  became  evident  that  an  educated 
ministry  would  require  special  attention  to 
providing  educational  institutions.  Prince- 
ton College  grew  out  of  this  conviction. 
The  line  of  Presbyterian  Colleges  now 
stretching  across  the  continent  had  in  every 
case  a  similar  origin.  In  addition  to  schools 
however  it  was  soon  apparent  that  in  many 
cases  young  men  of  piety  and  promise  who 
were  looking  forward  to  the  ministry  would 
need  help  to  enable  them  to  take  the  long 
and  expensive  training  which  the  Church 


282  The  Presbyterians 

required  of  her  ministers.  Hence  arose  the 
demand  for  a  Board  of  Education.  The 
first  plan  looking  to  this  end  dates  back  as 
far  as  1771.  It  was  not  however  until  1819 
that  the  Assembly  established  a  general 
Board.  Its  object  was  to  seek  suitable 
candidates  for  the  ministry  and  to  help  them 
when  necessary  in  their  preparation  for 
their  work. 

During  the  past  few  years  there  has  been 
a  marked  decline  in  the  number  of  candi- 
dates for  the  ministry.  It  is  largely  caused 
by  the  prizes  which  business  offers  to  capa- 
ble men.  But,  whatever  the  cause,  it  be- 
hooves a  Church  that  would  keep  pace 
with  the  enlarging  fields  for  Christian  serv- 
ice to  press  upon  educated  Christian  young 
men  the  opportunities  which  the  times 
offer  to  those  who  have  consecration 
enough  to  meet  them. 

Another  Board  made  necessary  by  the 
same  demand  for  thoroughly  trained  men 
for  the  ministry  is  "The  Board  of  Aid  for 


Presbyterian  Church  To-day  283 

Colleges  and  Academies."  For  a  number 
of  years  the  conviction  had  been  growing 
that  the  Church  needed  a  special  agency  to 
plant  and  foster  institutions  of  learning 
which  should  be  decidedly  Christian  in 
character.  This  conviction  led  to  the  or- 
ganization of  the  Board  in  1883.  Through 
its  influence  many  academies  and  colleges 
have  been  founded  throughout  all  the  west- 
ern region.  During  the  year  1901-2  the 
income  of  this  Board  was  $212,000  which 
has  been  expended  in  appropriations  to 
twenty-two  colleges  and  academies. 

The  Presbyterian  Church  not  only  helps 
to  prepare  men  for  its  service;  it  takes  care 
of  them  when  their  working  days  are  over. 
In  the  early  history  of  the  Church  special 
funds  were  sporadically  provided  for  the 
support  of  aged  ministers.  A  plan  of  min- 
isterial life  insurance  was  begun  as  early  as 
1755.  It  was  then  called  **The  Widow's 
Fund."  Its  constitution  has  been  amended 
and  it  is  now  known  as  the  Presbyterian 


284  The  Presbyterians 

Ministers'  Fund,  and  does  a  safe  ministerial 
insurance  business. 

But  in  1849  the  Assembly  set  apart  a  fund 
to  be  distributed  by  the  trustees  of  the  As- 
sembly *M'n  aiding  disabled  ministers  and 
the  widows  and  orphans  of  deceased  min- 
isters." In  1876  this  fund  was  put  in  charge 
of  a  Board  known  as  **The  Board  of  Min- 
isterial Relief."  The  scope  of  its  work  was 
enlarged  when  in  1889  the  Assembly  directed 
the  Board  to  include  in  the  list  of  those  hav- 
ing claims  on  its  funds  ''such  female  mis- 
sionaries and  lay  missionaries  as  may  have 
become  disabled  in  the  service  of  the 
Church."  Its  invested  funds  now  amount 
to  $1,215,526.  In  the  year  1902  it  had  on 
its  roll  367  ministers,  473  widows  and 
thirty-six  orphan  families.  It  also  has  a 
number  of  "Homes"  where  those  entitled 
to  its  care  find  a  resting-place  in  declining 
years. 

Besides  these  Boards  the  Assembly  has 
two  important  committees.     The   Perma- 


Presbyterian  Church  To-day   28^ 

nent  Committee  on  Temperance,  established 
in  1881  seeks  to  promote  temperance  reform 
and  to  quicken  the  Church,  by  circulating 
literature  and  by  action  of  Church  courts,  to 
an  appreciation  of  the  evils  of  intemperance 
and  the  need  of  measures  for  the  suppres- 
sion of  the  liquor  traffic. 

The  committee  on  Systematic  Beneficence 
constituted  was  in  1879.  It  aims  to  educate 
the  Church  in  regular  systematic  and  propor- 
tionate giving.  Its  work  is  of  the  utmost 
importance.  Questions  of  finance  in  connec- 
tion with  the  work  of  the  Church  would  be 
easily  and  quickly  solved  if  such  giving 
were  the  universal  rule. 

The  other  divisions  of  the  Church  have 
similar  organizations  for  the  extension  of 
their  work.  The  Presbyterian  Church  in 
the  United  States  (South)  prefers  how- 
ever to  style  its  missionary  agencies  "Com- 
mittees of  the  Assembly "  rather  than 
Boards.  The  women  are  organized  for 
mission    work    also    in    the    Presbyterian 


286  The  Presbyterians 

Church  in  the  United  States  as  well  as  in 
the  Cumberland,  in  the  Reformed  Church 
in  America,  the  Reformed  Church  in  the 
United  States  and  the  Synod  of  the  Re- 
formed Presbyterian  Church. 

The  Presbyterian  Church  is  not  only  thus 
well  equipped  in  its  own  machinery  but  it 
supplies  its  full  share  of  the  gifts  necessary 
to  carry  on  the  philanthropic  work  that  is 
outside  of  denominational  lines.  Thus  its 
gifts  to  the  Bible  Society  and  Tract  Society 
are  large  and  increasing.  It  is  actively 
identified  with  Young  Men's  Christian  As- 
sociations and  Young  Women's  Christian 
Associations.  It  helps  freely  in  matters  of 
civic  reform.  Recently  there  has  been 
organized  a  National  Federation  of  Churches 
which  aims  to  secure  cooperation  among 
all  churches  for  the  betterment  of  society. 
This  Federation  has  no  better  friend  than 
the  Presbyterian  Church.  It  is  also  the 
banner  Church  in  the  number  of  societies 
of  Christian   Endeavor  in  its  communion. 


Presbyterian  Church  To-day   287 

Thus  while  staunchly  loyal  to  all  that  has 
made  the  historic  glory  of  the  denomination 
it  is  catholic  in  both  its  sympathies  and  its 
deeds,  striving  with  all  saints  to  bring  into 
this  world  the  kingdom  "which  is  Right- 
eousness and  peace  and  joy  in  the  Holy 
Ghost." 

While  the  Presbyterian  Church  has  ever 
been  positive  in  its  statements  of  adherence 
to  the  Truth  as  God  has  given  it  to  see  the 
Truth,  it  has  also  sought  not  only  to  "live 
peaceably  with  all  men  "  but  also  to  cooper- 
ate with  all  good  people  in  all  the  work  for 
which  churches  are  organized.  It  has  been 
a  leader  in  all  interdenominational  move- 
ments. During  the  last  decade  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  has  had  a  "Committee  on 
Comity  and  Cooperation "  whose  duty  it 
was  to  seek  closer  fellowship  with  other 
religious  bodies  especially  on  missionary 
ground  and  so  to  economize  and  concen- 
trate all  Christian  forces  for  the  advance- 
ment   of    the    Kingdom   of    Christ.      The 


288  The  Presbyterians 

Assembly  has  also  repeatedly  required  its 
missionary  Boards  to  administer  their  af- 
fairs with  reference  to  the  rights  of  other 
denominations  and  as  far  as  possible  in  co- 
operation with  them. 

There  is  at  the  present  time  a  marked 
tendency  toward  the  union  of  affiliated 
bodies  ;  and  this  tendency  has  the  sym- 
pathy and  help  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 
''The  Alliance  of  Reformed  Churches"  it  is 
hoped  will  strengthen  this  tendency  and 
ultimately  bring  about  the  organic  union  of 
some  at  least  of  the  branches  of  the  great 
Presbyterian  family.  Six  of  these  branches 
have  already  united  in  a  plan  of  cooperation 
on  home  mission  fields  by  which  they  agree 
that  no  church  or  mission  shall  be  estab- 
lished in  small  communities  where  the  field 
is  fully  occupied  by  any  other  branch  of 
the  Church.  And,  broader  than  this,  the 
Presbyterian  Church  rejoices  in  the  success 
of  every  evangelical  Church  and  has  been 
directed    by  her  highest  church   court  to 


Presbyterian  Church  To-day   289 

further  first  the  common  interests  of  the 
Kingdom  of  Christ  and  push  her  own  work 
in  subjection  to  that  larger  idea. 

We  have  come  to  a  time  not  of  theolog- 
ical rest,  for  the  vital  questions  of  religion 
were  never  more  earnestly  debated  than 
now— but  to  a  time  of  increasing  brother- 
hood, of  mutual  charity  and  of  faith  in  the 
coming  of  the  Kingdom  by  the  federated 
work  of  all  the  Churches  of  Christ.  For 
this  brotherhood  and  charity  and  faith  the 
Presbyterian  Church  of  to-day  stands.  She 
has  not  weakened  in  her  proclamation  of 
Truth,  nor  in  her  devotion  to  the  form  of  it 
which  has  been  her  historic  glory.  She 
believes  with  all  her  might  in  the  principles 
announced  by  John  Calvin  and  which  on 
two  continents  have  been  the  inspiration 
for  civil  and  religious  freedom.  She  re- 
joices in  her  mission  to  avow,  defend  and 
extend  those  principles.  But  she  longs  for 
"the  unity  of  the  faith  in  the  bonds  of 
love"  and  for  that  victory  of  Christianity 


290  The  Presbyterians 

which  will  come  fully  only  when  all  de- 
nominational banners  gather  around  the 
banner  that  is  Love  in  the  marred  hand  of 
him  who  rides  gloriously  to  his  Kingdom. 
Thus  may  she  ever  keep  her  faith  with  her 
past  and  her  loyalty  to  her  Master. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Constitutional  History  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in 
the  United  States  of  America,  by  Charles 
Hodge,  D.  D. 

American  Presbyterianism,  by  Charles  Augustus 
Briggs,  D.  D. 

Annals  of  the  American  Pulpit,  by  William  B. 
Sprague,  D.  D. 

Encyclopaedia  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  United 
States  of  America,  by  Alfred  Nevin,  D.  D. 

Presbyterians,  by  George  P.  Hays,  D.  D, 

American  Church  History,  (Volume  6)  Robert  Ellis 
Thompson,  D.  D. 

History  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  United 
States  of  America,  by  Ezra  H.  Gillette,  D.  D. 

Presbyterians  and  the  Revolution,  by  William  P. 
Breed,  D.  D. 

History  of  the  Reformed  Presbyterian  Church  in 
America,  by  Rankin  W.  Glasgow,  D.  D. 

History  of  the  Associate  Reformed  Synod  of  the  South, 
by  Robert  Lathan,  D.  D. 

History  of  the  Cumberland  Church,  by  B.  W,  McDoN- 
nald,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 

291 


292  Bibliography 


Centennial   Historical   Discourses,    by  Alexander  T. 
Magill,  D.  D.,  and  others. 

Historical  Discourses  on  Presbyterians  and  the  Revolu- 
tion, by  William  P.  Breed,  D.  D. 

A  History  of  the  New  School,  by  Samuel  J.  Baird 
D.  D. 

Historical   Contributions,  by    Cortland   Van  Rens. 
selaer,  D.  D. 

Presbyterian  Reunion  and  Memorial  Volume. 


Index 


Abingdon,  Va,,  95. 

Presbytery  of,  87. 
Act  and  Testimony,  The,  i8l,  182. 
Adams,  William,  216. 
Adelbert  University,  158. 
Adopting  Act,  65-67,  72,  73,  74,  85. 
Alabama,  198,  211. 
Alexander,  Archibald,  97,  145,  148,  149. 

James  W.,  177. 
Alison,  Francis,  72. 

Alleghany  Mountains,  58,  100,  no,  in,  112,  118,  133. 
Allegheny,  114,  168. 

Alliance  of  Reformed  Churches,  224,  288. 
American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions, 

172,  219. 
American  Bible  Society,  163,  286. 

organized,  276. 
American  Educational  Society,  187,  193. 
American  Independence,  origin,  14. 
American  Tract  Society,  286. 
Anderson,  Isaac,  168. 

James,  53. 

Wm.  C,  205. 
Andrews,  Jedediah,  42,  43,  46,  70,  79. 
Arianism,  62. 

Arminianism,  32,  178,  338,  266. 
Athens,  Ohio,  158. 
Atwater,  L.  H.,  215. 

293 


294  Index 


Auburn  Theological  Seminary,  167. 
Augusta,  Ga.,  206. 
Baker,  Daniel,  222. 
Balch,  Hezekiah,  109. 
Baldwin,  Rev.  Methuselah,  1 27. 
Baltimore,  Lord,  40. 

Md.,  225. 
Bancroft,  14,  97. 
Baptism  of  infants,  38. 
Baptists,  145,  168. 
Barbadoes,  40. 

Barnes,  Albert,  176,  177,  183,  187,  198,  219. 
Beatty,  Charles,  90,  112, 
Beecher,  Lyman,  169,  178. 
Belfast,  62. 
Beloit  College,  159. 
Beman,  185. 

Bibliography,  24,  25,  37,  38,  80,  98,  102,  109,  117,  133. 
Birch,  George  W.  F.,  237. 
Birnie,  James  G.,  198. 
Blackburn,  Gideon,  133. 

University,  159. 
Blair,  John,  S^. 

Samuel,  71,  83. 
Boston,  22,  82, 
Blue  Ridge,  The,  87,  97. 

Board  of  Aid  for  Colleges  and  Academies,  283. 
Board  of  Church  Erection,  growth,  279. 

organization,  277,  278. 
Board  of  Education,  92,  93,  166,  171, 

early  beginning,  118. 

organized,  282, 
Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  94,  219. 

growth,  274. 

organization,  273. 
Board  for  Freedmen,  279,  281. 
Board  of  Home  Missions,  219,  221. 

growth,  268-273. 

organization,  162,  268. 


Index  295 


Board  of  Publication  and  Sabbath-School  Work,  93,  219. 

growth,  275-277. 

organization,  275. 
Board  of  Ministerial  Relief,  284. 
Brainard,  John,  89,  112. 
Brandywine,  72. 

Breckenridge,  Robt.  J.,  182,  185,  191. 
Brevard,  Ephraim,  97. 

«'  Brief  Statement  of  the  Reformed  Faith,"  1902,  251-261. 
Briggs,  Charles  A.,  229,  233,  234,  235. 
Brown,  Matthew,  149. 
Buffalo,  117. 
Butler,  Charles,  230. 
Caldwell,  David,  150. 
Calvin,  John,  9,  14,  16,  19,  3I,  99. 
Calvinism,  13,  213. 
Calvinists,  14,  266. 
Campbell,  Colonel  Wm.,  98,  lOO. 
Cannonsburg,  116. 
Canonsburg  Academy,  149. 
Carlisle,  108. 

Presbytery  of,  87. 
Carolinas,  The,  22,  40,  46,  104,  105,  106,  107,  108,  143, 

ISO- 
Synod  of,  120,  134. 

Carroll  College,  159. 

Carter,  Robert,  216. 

Catechism,  32. 

Charles  River,  35. 

Charleston,  S.  C,  22. 

Chicago,  170,  227,  228. 
Presbytery  of,  228. 

Chillicothe,  Ohio,  157. 
Presbytery  of,  201. 

Clinton,  Gen.,  98. 

Church  Courts,  29, 

Church  Extension  Committee,  196. 

Cincinnati,  178,  182,  233,  234. 
beginnings,  153,  154. 


296 


Index 


Clark,  John,  118. 
Cleaveland,  Col,,  100. 
Cleveland,  158. 

beginnings,  156. 
Coligny,  Admiral,  20. 

Confession  of  Faith,  6 r,  85,  93,  139,  214,  216,  238,  240, 
251-261. 

Revision,  239,  242,  251. 

(Ref.),  Adopted  by  Parliament,  16. 
Congregationalism,  26,  46. 

in  Connecticut,  87,  127. 

in  Long  Island,  51. 
Congregational  Churches,  87,  195. 
Colonial  period,  47,  56. 
Columbus,  Ohio,  157. 
Columba,  15. 

Comity,  127,  128,  164,  287. 
Connecticut,  44,  46,  53,  58,  151,  154,  155,  185. 

Congregationalism  in,  87,  127. 
Constitution,  English,  14. 
Consubstantiation,  31. 
Continental  Congress,  lOO. 
Cornbury,  Lord,  53. 
Covenanters,  99,  173. 

Covenanter  Church,  (Reformed  Church),  266. 
Cowpens,  100. 
Cox,  Samuel  Hanson,  176. 
Craighead,  64. 

Alexander,  105. 

Robert,  63. 

Thomas,  63. 
Crosby,  Hovi'ard,  243. 
Cross,  Robert,  70,  72. 
Cross  Creek,  117. 
Culdees,  15. 
Cumberland,  Presbytery  of,  139. 

Presbyterians,  138,  140,  141,  266. 

Presbyterians,  (colored),  140. 
Cummins,  Chas.,  109. 


Index  297 


Cuyler,  Theodore  L.,  243. 

Davies,  Samuel,  43,  88. 

Day,  Henry,  216. 

Declaration  of  Independence,  98,  lOl. 

Declaration  and  Testimony,  209. 

Delaware,  19,  53,  145. 

Delfthaven,  15. 

Denton,  Richard,  26,  39. 

De  Witt,  John,  243. 

Dickinson,  185. 

Jonathan,  54,  55,  57,  64,  72,  76,  83. 

Moses,  57. 
Dickson,  Cyrus,  221. 
Dissenters,  26. 
Division  of  1741,  57,  68,  71,  76,  77-80,  86. 

of  1837,  175,  176,  181,  182,  184,  185,  186,  187,  188, 
189,  192. 
Doak,  John,  133. 

Samuel,  132. 
Dodd,  Thaddeus,  116. 
Doddridge,  Philip,  93. 
Dodge,  William  E.,  216. 
Donegal,  Ireland,  40. 

Presbytery  of,  74. 
Doty,  Francis,  38. 
Drake,  Charles  D.,  215. 
Dublin,  Presbytery  of,  44. 
Duffield,  Geo,,  90,  107,  112,  185. 
Duffield,  J.  T.,  242. 
Dunlap,  James,  118. 

Thos.,  98. 
Dutch,  The,  26,  27,  39,  97. 

New  York  Governor,  38. 

pastors,  39, 
Dutchess  County,  Presbyterj-  of,  87. 
East  Chester,  N.  Y.,  56. 
Edict  of  Nantes,  20. 

revocation  of,  21. 
Edict  of  Paris,  19. 


298 


Index 


Edict  of  Toleration,  21. 
Edinburgh,  16. 
Educators,  149. 
Education,  56. 

classical  schools,  109,  116,  117,  167. 

early  colleges,  144,  152,  158,  159,  166. 

importance  of,  169. 

popular,  14. 
Edwards,  Jonathan,  54,  175. 
Ellinwood,  F.  F.,  220. 
Elliot,  David,  185,  218. 
Eliot,  John,  25-35,  37. 
Elizabeth  Isles,  37, 
Elizabeth  town,  54,  72,  82. 

England,   ii,   13,   14,   18,  22,  23,  26,  27,  35,  37,  39,  42, 
46,  57,  84. 

American  claims,  in. 

Church  of,  24,  87,  95. 
English  Presbyterians,  88,  99. 

Church,  intolerance  of,  40. 

Monarchs,  20. 

Presbyterians  in  America,  34. 

Revolution,  46. 
Episcopal  Church,  52,  53,  54,  100. 
Erie  Canal,  156. 
Erie,  Presbytery  of,  165. 
Established  Church  of  England,  17. 

Scotland,  17. 
Europe,  43. 
European  origins,  II. 
Evangelists,  71,  75,  76,  81,  82. 
Evans,  Thos.  57. 
Faggs  Manor,  71. 
Federation  of  Churches,  164. 

National,  286,  289. 
Farrand,  J.  S.,  216. 
Fincastle,  134. 
Finley,  Samuel,  83. 
Fisher,  Samuel  W.,  216. 


Index  299 


Foreign  Missions,  162,  163. 

Board  of,  94,  219,  273,  274. 
Fowler,  P.  H.,  218. 
Fox,  Matthew,  222. 
France,  ii,  13,  19,  20,  21,  27. 
France,  American  claims,  ill. 
Francis,  W.  M.,  216. 
Freedom,  14. 
Free  government,  13. 
Free  Will,  32. 

French  and  Indian  War,  1 12,  115. 
French  Language,  22. 
Ft.  Pitt,  90,  112,  152. 
Ft.  Sumpter,  202. 
General  Assembly,  loi,  137,  138,  142. 

Centennial  1888,  225. 

first  meeting,  120. 

Reunion,  (1869),  217. 

on  Revision,  (1889),  242. 

on  Revision,  (1900),  243. 
General  Synod,  Reform  d  Presbyterian,  214. 
Genesee,  165. 

Synod  of,  187. 
Geneva,  14,  26. 

Synod  of,  167,  187. 
Georgia,  Augusta,  206. 
Germany,  22. 
Gillespie,  46,  72. 
Government,  democratic,  14. 
Great  Britain,  89,  97. 

Green,  Ashbel,  147,  148,  149,  177,  182,  185. 
Green's  History  of  English  people,  13. 
Green,  Wm.  Henry,  243. 
Greenville,  Tenn.,  134. 
Grier,  J.  C.,  216. 
Gurley  Order,  The,  209. 
Hall,  James,  108. 

John,  243. 
Hamilton  College,  166. 


300  Index 

Hampden-Sidney,  i68. 

College,  149. 
Hampton,  41,  43,  46. 
Hanover  Academy,  170. 

College,  159. 

Presbytery  of,  87,  107. 
Harmony,  Presbytery  of,  199. 
Harrison,  Sir  Edmund,  44. 
Hart,  Joseph,  125. 
Hartford,  Ohio,  157. 

Presbytery  of,  155. 
Havre,  15, 

Hempstead,  L.  I.,  39. 
Henry,  Patrick,  98. 
Her,  Nathan,  107,  125. 
Heresy,  181,  227,  228,  230,  235,  236. 

trials,  177,  178,  179,  183,  184,  238. 
Professor  Briggs,  231-233. 
Professor  Smith,  233. 
Professor  Swing,  227. 
"  Higher  Criticism,"  The,  229. 
Higginson,  Francis,  23. 
Hill,  Timothy,  222. 
Hobart,  Peter,  25. 
Hodge,  C.  W,,  243, 

Charles,  205. 
Hoge,  James,  132. 

Moses,  149. 
Holland,  11,  13,  14,  22,  23,  26,  99. 
Holston,  133. 

Home  Missionary  Society,  187,  192,  195. 
Hopkins,  Samuel,  93,  175,  176, 
Houston,  Sam'l,  109. 
Howard,  Colonel  Jno.  Eager,  98. 
Hudson,  Ohio,  158. 
Hughes,  James,  149. 
Huguenots,  19,  20,  88,  99,  104. 

Services,  22. 
Illinois,  159,  169,  194,  198,  222. 


Index  30 1 


Illinois  College,  159. 

Indiana,  133,  145,  159,  160,  169,  222. 

Synod  of,  170,  194. 
Indians,  91,  112. 

Cayugas,  125. 

Cherokee,  133. 

Oneidas,  89,  125, 

Missions  to,  35,  37,  89,  90,  iii,  112,  134,  143,  162. 
Indian  Territory,  222. 
Ireland,  ii,  15,  17,  27,  40,  45,  46,  50,  52,  60,  61,  84. 

Church  of,  55-57. 

immigration  from,  63. 
Irish  Landlords,  18. 

Presbyterians  in  America,  43,  76,  107. 
Institutions,  free,  14, 
Institutes  of  religion,  31. 
Jamaica,  48,  51,  70. 
James  River,  88. 
Jefferson  College,  116,  149,  166. 

Thomas,  98. 
Johnson,  Herrick,  243, 
Junkin,  George,  182,  185. 
Kansas,  222. 

"  Kansas  Band,"  The,  222. 
Kansas,  Synod  of,  222. 
Kemper,  James,  154. 
Kendall,  Henry,  221. 

Kentucky,    135,   137,  138,  142,  143,  190,  191,  193,  200, 
203,  210,  211. 

Synod  of,  134,  138,  191,  210. 
King's  Mountain,  98,  100. 
Knox  College,  159, 

John,  16,  98,  99. 
Knoxville,  143. 
Lackawanna,  125. 
Laing,  Robert,  57. 
Lake  Forest  University,  159. 
Lamb,  Joseph,  57, 
Massachusetts,  46,  58. 


302  Index 


Lancaster,  Presbytery  of,  87. 

Lane  Theological  Seminary,  168,  169,  178,  233. 

Latta,  James,  182, 

Lewes,  Presbytery  of,  75. 

Lexington,  Presbytery  of,  87,  200. 

Leyden,  23. 

Little,  Henry,  222. 

Liturgy,  Calvinistic,  22. 

Livingston,  Wm.  98. 

Log  College,  56,  68,  71,  75. 

London,  41,  42,  44,  46. 

Londonderry,  15. 

Long  Island,  26,  38,  45,  48. 

Presbytery  of,  49,  51. 
Lord,  Willis,  215. 
Louis  XIII,  21, 
Louis  XIV,  21. 
Lovejoy,  Elijah  P.,  198. 
Lundy,  Benjamin,  191. 
Lutheran  Doctrines,  31. 
Lyon,  David  C,  223. 
McAden,  Hugh,  105. 
McCook,  Henry  C,  243. 
McCormick  Theological  Semmary,  243. 
McCorkle,  Sam'l  Eusebius,  108. 
McCosh,  James,  223,  242. 
McGiffert,  A.  C,  235,  236,  237. 
McMillan,  John,  114,  149. 
McNish,  Geo.,  43,  46,  48. 
McWhorter,  Alex.,  107. 
Makemie,  Francis,  40,  42,  43,  46,  48. 
Manhattan  Island,  38. 
Marietta,  Ohio,  152. 

College,  157. 
Martha's  Vineyard,  37. 

Maryland,  19,  22,  38,  40,  44,  46,  48,  116,  132,  145,  203. 
Maryville,  Tenn.,  168. 

College,  Theological  department,  170. 
Massachusetts  Bay  Colony,  23,  24,  25,  26,  ^2,  35. 


Index  303 


Mather,  Cotton,  24,  57. 

Matthews,  John,  170. 

Mayflower,  33. 

Mazarin,  Cardinal,  21. 

Mecklenburg  Declaration,  96,  97. 

Melville,  Andrew,  16. 

Memorial  Fund,  1870,  220. 

Methodist  Missionaries,  145. 

Miami  University,  149,  158. 

Michigan,  Synod  of,  194. 

Middle  States,  84. 

Middletovvn,  125. 

Miller,  Samuel,  148. 

Ministry,  candidates  for,  70,  74,  75,  89,  92,  93,  116,  144, 

147,  170,  171,  196,  222,  281. 
Minnesota,  223. 

Missionaries'  commissions,  132-134. 
Missionary  activity,  88,  89. 

contributions  to  new  world,  36,  37,  59,  89. 

needs,    129,    147,    156,    161,    166,    196,    220,  221, 
269-272. 

organization,  90,  91,    124,   125,  126,  130,  131,  134, 
143,  145,  162, 

societies,  36,  43,  58,  59. 
Mississippi,  132,  165. 

Presbytery  of,  17 1. 

River,  153. 
Missouri,  165,  193,  203. 

Synod  of,  210. 
Monmouth  College,  159. 
Montgomery,  Robt.,  98. 
Mount  Pleasant,  114. 
Morgan,  Gen'l,  100. 
Morristown,  176. 
Muskingum,  90,  1 12,  152. 

Nashville  College,  Theological  Department,  17 1. 
Natchez,  132. 
Negroes,  94,  208. 
Nelson,  David,  198. 


304  Index 


Neshaminy,  56. 

Netherlands,  13. 

Newark,  N.  J.,  116. 

New  Castle,  Presbytery  of,  49-52, 63,  74,  82, 83, 1 14,  1 18. 

New  Brunswick,  N.  J.,  143. 

Presbytery  of,  75,  77,  79,  82,  83,  84. 
New  England,  23,  24,  25,  26,  33,  36,  43,  45,  46,  48,  50- 

52,   58-60,   64,   76,  83,  84,  97,  98,  143,  154,  160, 

169,  171,  176,  178,  179,  183,  192. 
New  Jersey,  45,  56,  89,  98,  132,  194. 

Synod  of,  120. 
New  Light  Covenanting  Church,  174. 
New  Orleans,  207, 
Newport,  R,  I.,  175. 
Newtown,  48,  51. 
New  York,  22,  38,  39,  40,  41,  45,  52,  56,  72,  83,  84,  87, 

97,  98,  120,  121,  125,  131,  143,  148,  160,  165,  166, 

168,  177,  178,  194,  203,  219,  230,  241. 
New  York  Missionary  Society,  172. 
New  York,  Presbytery  of,  77,  78,  81,  82,  83,  84,  230, 

237. 
New  York  and  Philadelphia,  Synod  of,  102,  107,  141. 
New  York,  Synod  of,  85,  120,  179. 
Niagara,  Presbytery  of,  165, 
Nixon,  Capt.  John,  98. 
Non-Conformists,  18. 
Norfolk,  Va.,  131. 
Norton,  A.  T.,  222. 
North  Carolina,  88,  97,  106,  109,  190. 
Nott,  Eliphalet,  148. 
Noyes,  George  C,  228. 

James,  25. 
Oakland  College,  171. 
Oberlin  University,  158. 
Occom,  Sam'l,  89. 
Octorara,  Pa.,  72. 
Ohio,  90,   no.    III,   112,   132,  134,  143,  154,  156,  158, 

159,  160,  165,  168,  194,  201. 
Ohio  River,  153. 


Index  305 


Ohio,  Synod  of,  142,  155,  234. 

Old  Northwest,  the,  151,  157,  159. 

Onondago,  127. 

Orange,  Presbytery  of,  88,  107. 

Orme,  John,  57. 

Orthodoxy,  60,  62,  72. 

Oxford,  Ohio,  158. 

Pacific  Ocean,  100,  no. 

Palmer,  Benj.  M,  207. 

Parker,  Thomas,  25. 

Parliament,  36. 

Adoption  of  Reformed  Confession  of  Faith,  16. 

abolition  of  Romish  worship,  16. 
Patton,  Francis  L.,  228,  243. 

Ebenezer,  54,  72,  76,  83. 
Pennsylvania,  19,  44,  45,  46,  56,  58,  105,  107,  108,  in, 
125,  146,  154,  166,  168,  182,  194. 

Synod  of,  176, 
Persecution,  41,  87. 

Philadelphia,  42,  70,  76,  loi,  176,  177,  178,  185,  214, 
217,  219,  225. 

Presbytery  of,  46,  49,  54,  61,  75,  87,  187,  240. 

Synod  of,  76,  77,  78,  79,  84,  85,  120,  179,  183. 
Pickens,  Gen'l,  100. 
Pilgrims,  23,  24,  34,  88. 

Pioneers,  88,  90,  99,  105,  106,  108,  109,  113,  114,  115, 
116,  118,  131,  132,  133,  150,  154,  161. 

Salaries  of,  146. 
Pittsburg,  143,  182,  216,  217. 

Presbytery  of,  235. 

Synod  of,  134,  155. 
Pittston,  125. 

Plan  of  Union,  The,  127,  189,  183,  185,  187,  188. 
Plumer,  William  S.,  185,  186,  187. 
Plymouth,  23,  24,  88. 

Colony,  33. 
Powers,  James,  1 14, 
Presbyterian  Church  Constitution,  29. 

doctrine,  9,  31,  86. 


3o6 


Index 


Presbyterian  Church,  English,  37,  240. 

Form   of  Government    (compared    with    national 
government),  29. 

New  School,   192,   193,   194,   196,  200,  213,  214, 
316,  217,  219,  243. 

Scotch,  240. 

South,  200,  206,  208,  210,  211,  212,  225,  226,  266. 

South  (new  school),  208. 

Requirement  for  membership,  32. 
Presbyterianism,  American  personnel,  43,  46. 

distinguished  from  Episcopacy,  29. 

distinguished  from  Independency,  29. 

development,  32. 

essential  principles,  9. 

government,  29,  30. 

national  origins,  46. 

persecution,  37,  38. 

polity,  25,  28,  32,  86,  102. 

in  America,  18,  32. 

Cosmopolitan  character  in  early  period,  43,  51, 

55- 
English,  The,  34. 
Evolution   from   Congregational  Antecedents, 

51-87. 
First  General  Assembly,  16. 
First  Presbytery,  18. 
First  Synod,  51. 

growth,  45,  57,  68,  84,  86,  87,   109,  120,  135, 

137,   142,    143,  146,   151,  153,   155,  157, 

160,  161,  165,  167,  220,  221,  222,  223. 
historic  lines,  10. 
in  eighteenth  century,  48. 
In  1902,  262-290, 

Irish,  The,  43,  76,  107. 

Leaders,  92, 

Middle  Colonies,  58. 

New  England,  45. 

in  America,  New  York,  53. 

organization,  10,  39,  42,  45,  220,  267. 


Index  307 


Presbyterianism  in  America,  resultant  of  diverse  national 
forces,  27. 

in  England,  new  creed  (1889),  240. 

in  Ireland,  61,  62,  63. 

in  Scotland,  16. 

•'  Declaratory  Act,"  240, 
Presbyterian  Ministers'  Fund,  2S3. 

Presbyterians  in  the  Revolution,  94,  95,  97,  lOO, 
loi,  102,  103,  106,  119,  120,  121,  122,  123, 
124. 

New  York  and  New  Jersey,  26,  37. 

mission  work,  33. 

in  Asia,  243. 
Presbytery  of  Abingdon,  87. 

of  Carlisle,  87. 

of  Chicago,  228. 

of  Chillicothe,  201. 

of  Cumberland,  139. 

of  New  Brunswick,  75,  77,  79,  82,  S^,  84. 

of  New  Castle,  49,  52,  63,  82,  83,  114,  118. 

of  Donegal,  74. 

of  Dutchess  County,  87. 

of  Erie,  165. 

of  Hanover,  87,  107. 

of  Harmony,  199. 

of  Hartford,  155. 

of  Lancaster,  87. 

of  Lewes,  75. 

of  Lexington,  87,  200. 

of  Long  Island,  49,  51. 

of  Mississippi,  171, 

of  New  York,  77,  78,  81,  82,  S3,  84,  230,  237. 

of  Niagara,  165. 

of  Orange,  88-107. 

of  Philadelphia,  46,  49,  54,  61,  75,  87,  187,  240. 

of  Pittsburg,  235. 

of  Redstone,  87,  113,  1 14,  149, 

of  Snow  Hill,  49. 

of  Transylvania.  87. 


3o8 


Index 


Princeton,  56,  83,  91,  94,97,   105,   108,  114,  115,  Il8, 

132,  149,  166,  223,  242,  281. 
Princeton  Theological  Seminary,  147,  148,  243. 
Princeton  Review,  182,  213. 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  233. 
Protestantism,  growth  of,  19. 
Psalms,  266. 

Rouse's  Version,  265. 
Puritans,  14,  23,  25,  43,  45,  46,  97,  99. 
Quakers,  191. 
Quebec,  98. 

Redstone,  Presbytery  of,  87,  113,  114,  149. 
Reese,  Thos.,  108. 
Reformation,  10,  ii,  12,  19,  21,  27. 
Reformed  Church,  (Covenanter  Church),  266. 
Reformed  Presbyterian,  Gen'I  Synod,  214. 

Synod  of,  173,  174. 
Reunion,  (1758),  81,  84,  85. 

(1869),  212,  213,  215,  217,  218,  223,  227. 
Revivals,  71-76,  81,  82,  86,  135,  136,  137,  139,  159, 

164. 
Revision,  244,  263. 
Revolutionary  War,  91,  94,  104,  106. 
Rice,  John  H.,  145,  149.  I54.  171.  I77»  190. 
Richelieu,  Cardinal,  21. 
Richmond,  Va.,  149. 
Riggs,  T.  J.,  169. 
Riley,  B,  G.,  222. 
Rio  Grande,  100,  no. 
Ripon  College,  159. 
Rodgers,  John,  120. 
Roman  Catholicism,  20,  40,  238. 
Roman  Catholic  persecutions,  15. 

worship  abolished  by  Parliament,  16. 
Roman  law,  12. 
Romaine,  John  B.,  148. 
Roosevelt,  Theo.,  98,  109,  132,  133. 
Rowland,  John,  75. 
Roxbury,  Mass.,  35. 


Index  309 


Sacraments,  31. 

San  Francisco,  205. 

Schaff,  Phillip,  243. 

Schools,  Free,  14. 

Scotch  Presbyterians  in  America,  43,  52,  76,  97,  98,  107, 

Scotch-Irish  Presbyterians  in  America,   18,  19,  43,  52, 

95.  96,  97.  98,  99.  104,  108. 
Scotch  monarchs,  18. 

Reformation,  15. 
Scotland,  11,  13,  14,  15,  16,  18,  27,  35,  45,  46,  50,  52, 
53.  55.  83,  84,  89,  91,  94. 

church  of,  54. 

"  The  First  Covenant,"  16. 
Scott,  Abraham,  155. 
Secession,  202,  204,  207. 
Separatists,  23,  24. 
Setauket,  L,  I.,  51. 
Sevier,  Col.,  100. 
Sewickley,  114. 
Shaw,  James  B.,  216. 
Shedd,  W.  G.  T.,  243. 
Shelby,  Col.,  100. 
Skelton,  Samuel,  23. 
Slavery,   142,   189,   190,   191,  192,   196,   198,  199,  200, 

201,  202,  203,  205,  207,  208,  209. 
Smythe,  Thomas,  100. 
Smith,  Joseph,  117. 

Henry,  Preserved,  233,  234. 

Robert,  115. 
Snow  Hill,  40,  52. 

Presbytery  of,  49. 
South,  The,  104. 
South  Carolina,  88,  204. 

Synod  of,  168. 
Southampton,  England,  15. 

L.I.,51. 
Southwest,  The,  109, 
Spain,  14,  20. 
Spencer,  Herbert,  27. 


310 


Index 


Spring,  Gardiner,  148,  176,  203. 

Resolutions,  204,  207. 
Stamford,  Conn.,  39, 

Standards,  32,  61,  63,  64,  65-67,  72,  85,  86,  93,  216, 
227,  230,  231,  233,  235,  236,  238,  240,  244, 
251-261,  262,  264,  265,  266. 

Brief  Statement,  (17 14),  61. 
(1902),  251-261. 

discussions,  176,  178,  179,  180,  181. 

revision,  241,  242,  245-251,  262. 

General  Assembly  vote,  243. 
Stark,  Col.,  98. 
St.  Bartholomew,  20. 
Stearns,  Jonathan  F.,  216. 
Steubenville,  Ohio,  157. 
Stiles,  Ezra,  93. 
Stony  Point,  98. 
Stowe,  Calvin  E.,  169. 
Strong,  William,  216. 
Stuart,  George  H.,  214,  218. 
Sullivan,  Col,,  98. 
Swing,  David,  227,  228. 

Systematic  Beneficence,  Assembly's  Committee,  285. 
Synod  of  the  Carolinas,  120,  134. 

of  Genesee,  187. 

of  Geneva,  167,  187. 

of  Indiana,  170,  194. 

of  Kansas,  222. 

of  Kentucky,  134,  138,  191,  2IO. 

of  Michigan,  194. 

of  Missouri,  210. 

of  New  Jersey,  120. 

of  New  York,  85,  120,  179. 

of  New  York  and  Philadelphia,  102,  107,  141. 

of  Ohio,  142,  155,  234. 

of  Pennsylvania,  176. 

of  Philadelphia,  76,  77,  78,  79,  84,  85,   120,  179, 
183. 

of  Pittsburg,  134,  155. 


Index  311 


Synod  of  Reformed  Presbyterians,  173,  174. 

of  South  Carolina,  168. 

of  Tennessee,  194. 

of  Virginia,  120,  168,  199. 

of  Western  Reserve,  187. 
Taunton,  Mass.,  38. 
Taylor,  Nathaniel,  43,  46,  176. 
Temperance  Assembly's  Committee,  285. 
Tennents,  The,  55,  68,  69,  70,  71,  73,  75,  76,  77,  83, 

107. 
Tennessee,  109,  132,  133,  134,  143.  160,  165,  170,  171- 
190,  203. 

Synod  of,  194. 
Texas,  222, 

Theological  seminaries,  56,  68,  91. 
Theological  Seminary,  Columbia,  168. 

of  the  Northwest,  170,  228. 
Theology,  Calvinistic,  33. 

discussions,  60. 
Thomson,  Chas.,  98. 

John,  72, 
Transylvania,  Presbytery  of,  87. 
Treat,  Robert,  83. 
Ulster,  18,  57. 
Unilarianism,  62,  178. 
United  Foreign  Missionary  Society,  163. 
United  Presbyterian  Church,  265. 
Union  College,  148,  166. 
Union  Theological  Seminary,  (N.  Y.),  230,  233,  235, 

243- 

(Va.),  168,  171,  177. 
Van  Dyke,  Henry  J.,  243. 

Virginia,   19,  22,  23,  44,  46,  56,  58,  82,  87,  88,  95,  97, 
98,  105,  107,  114,  116,  132,  143,  145,  191. 

Synod  of,  120,  168,  199. 
Wabash  College,  159. 
Wales,  37,  50,  52,  57. 
Waldensians,  10. 
Warfield,  Benjamin  B.,  243. 


312  Index 


Washington  College,  ii6,  132,  149,  166. 
Washington,  D.  C,  98,  13 1. 

George,  97,  I2I,  152. 
Watts,  Isaac,  93. 
Wayne,  Gen'l  Anthony,  98. 
Webster,  Daniel,  98. 
Western  Memorial,  The,  180. 
Western  Missionary  Society,  The,  134,  143. 
Western  Reserve,  The,  154,  155,  156. 

College,  158. 

Synod  of,  187. 
Western  Theological  Seminary,  168. 
Westminster  Confession  of  Faith,  32. 
Whelpley,  Sam'l,  176, 

Whitefield,  George,  56,  68,  7 1,  76,  77,  104. 
Wilkesbarre,  Pa.,  125. 
Williams,  Col.  James,  ICX). 
Wilson,  John,  43,  46. 

Joshua  L.,  154,  178,  182. 

Samuel  R.,  209. 
Wisconsin,  159,  222. 

Witherspoon,  John,  46,  91,  loi,  108,  185. 
Woman's    Missionary  organizations,  Cumberland  Pres- 
byterian Church,  286. 

Presbyterian  Church,  (South),  285. 

Presbyterian  Home  Missions,  271,  272. 

Presbyterian  Foreign  Missions,  275. 

Reformed  Church  in  America,  286. 

Reformed  Church  in  United  States,  286. 
Winthrop,  Gov.,  24, 
Yale  College,  54,  57,  176. 
Youghiogheny  River,  The,  1 14,  152. 
Young,  John,  25. 

Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  286. 
Young  Women's  Christian  Association,  286. 


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